


Entwined Desires

by orphan_account



Category: I Love Yoo (WEBTOON)
Genre: Dominance, F/M, Submission, Workplace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2020-12-17 10:47:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 32,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21053123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A brief moment of abandon awakes a desire that Shin-Ae was not aware that she had. A desire that Kousuke was more than happy to fulfill.





	1. The First Moment

Kousuke glanced up as Shin-Ae walked quietly into his office. Their interactions had been tense the last week or so, he wasn’t sure what had changed but he was hyper aware of her every move and she seemed to enjoy his inability to focus when she was near him. She silently moved toward the coffee machine with two cups, “I don’t remember asking for coffee.”  
  
She glanced over at him with a small smile, “You didn’t, and this isn’t for you.”  
  
He felt an unfamiliar twinge of jealousy at her response, “Oh? Then who is it for?”  
  
She set the cups down by the coffee maker and turned to face him, “One is for me, the other is for Nol.”  
  
He nodded silently, refusing to show how displeased he was with the answer. “I see.”  
  
Shin-Ae gazed at him in silence for a moment before turning back to the coffee maker. She filled a cup, he watched from the corner of his eye as she added cream and a dash of sugar, and then she walked over to his desk. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”  
  
He looked up at her as she walked around his side of the desk and leaned against the wood beside him, she set the cup down in front of him and smiled. “Coffee isn’t a part of your duties, Miss Yoo.”  
  
“When are you going to simply call me by my name?” It’s been almost six months and you’ve certainly gotten to know me well enough to drop the formality.”  
  
The last six months flashed through his mind, she was right. He had helped her through countless issues with her father and his recovery, he had supported her when her friendship with Maya had fallen apart, he had helped her study to retake her exams, he had even been the one she had called to find a new apartment after the scare with the woman claiming to be her sister. She had initially entrusted his brother and that little group of friends but quickly found herself calling him before anyone else. Kousuke pretended not to be aware of how quickly she had been turning to him in times of even minor trouble, but he could see her rising comfort levels and her willingness to include him in the happenings in her life over the last few months. Kousuke had no idea what had brought on this change, but he suspected it had to do with the day he found her crying in the conference room. He had walked into the room without realizing it was occupied, intending to make a business call while Nol and his father continued a heated discussion in his office, but instead found Miss Yoo curled up in a plush leather chair, weeping uncontrollably. In that moment she had been so overwhelmed that she found herself relaying every detail of her life to him, and he, for some reason he still didn’t understand, found himself listening to every detail and offering her whatever consolation he could. That day, that discussion in the conference room, had ended with his arms around her in a tight embrace until her tears stopped, and then they returned to work as if nothing had happened. They had never spoken of it again, but he suspected that he had seen her in a state of vulnerability that she didn’t let anyone see, and there was no erasing that moment from their minds. It had altered their every interaction since them, one afternoon changing their entire relationship into one of mutual reliance and growing affection.  
  
He sighed and turned his chair to face her, “Very well, coffee is not part of your duties Shin-Ae.”  
  
She smiled at him, a genuine, dazzling smile that he hadn’t seen more than once or twice in the entire time he had known her. “I know, but you seem a little bothered that I’m getting your brother coffee, so I assume that you’d like it if I got you coffee as well. Or…” she looked down at him intently, “is it not about the coffee? Is it something else?”  
  
He raised a brow at her, “Such as?”  
  
“Are you bothered by me getting him coffee, or by me doing something that seems affectionate?”  
  
He stared at her, refusing to break eye contact, but remained silent. In truth, he wasn’t quite sure of the answer, but he suspected it wasn’t about the coffee. As their eyes remained locked on one another the intensity between them grew stronger, Kousuke could see her breath growing unsteady, quickening as she refused to look away. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity staring at one another, Kousuke slowly stood and Shin-Ae dropped her gaze as the spell seemed to be broken. But her averted eyes didn’t stop him from following through on the impulse that he had randomly decided to act upon. He closed the very small distance between them, so that their bodies were dangerously close to touching, and he gently tilted her chin so that he could see her face. She dragged a ragged, unsteady breath in through slightly parted lips, her eyes searched his for any clue as to what he was going to do but he didn’t make her wait to find out. He pressed his lips to hers, tenderly caressing her jaw with the tips of his fingers. He waited for her shock to subside, patiently keeping his lips to hers as she decided on how she would respond. When he felt her lips return the kiss, felt her body soften as the surprise faded, he deepened the kiss. He brought his body against hers and felt her press herself against him, he flicked his tongue across hers and wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck to draw her that tiny bit closer. Her hands moved to his sides and she curled her fingers around the fabric of his shirt, neither of them caring about the inevitable wrinkles that it would create. She pulled at his shirt, as if trying to pull him closer despite their bodies being pressed flush against one another. He wrapped a hand around her waist, assuring her that he wasn’t going to pull away, and dragged his other hand down from the nape of her neck to rest against her collarbones, fingers just barely grazing her neck. The thought of him gently choking her, dominating her, filled her with a renewed urgency and she pressed harder against him. He stifled a low moan as she moved her hips against his, clearly trying to arouse him further. His fingers skillfully popped open the buttons on her shirt, surprising her with how fast he was able to expose her. He trailed a finger along the top of her breast, his featherlight touch grazing the pale skin along the top of her bra. He noticed the bit of lace at the top of her bra, surprised at her choice in lingerie but now curious about whether her panties matched. Her hands moved from where they had been clenched in the material at his sides to the buttons at the top of his shirt, clearly eager to undress him. He pulled his lips from hers and caught her hands in his own, “Don’t,” he said against her lips, his tone caught her by surprise, but, for some reason she didn’t want to argue, she just wanted to follow him deeper into this moment. He gently, but authoritatively moved her hands away from his body and placed them behind her on the desk, forcing her to lean back slightly to further expose herself to him. “Keep your hands flat on this desk, do not move them without my permission. Do you understand?” She nodded slightly as she forced herself to breath, but he wasn’t going to accept anything less than a verbal response. He repeated himself, his tone becoming seductively forceful, “Do you understand?”  
  
“Yes,” She was barely able to get the word past her lips as her growing excitement sent tingles through her body.  
  
His lips curled into a sexy smirk as she relaxed into the position he had placed her in, he caught her lips with a tender kiss that left her wanting more. He brought his lips to the sensitive spot where her jawline met her neck, pressing his tongue against her neck and dragging it down. Her breathing was shallow and uneven, he could feel her fidgeting against his body but she didn’t move from where he had put her. He pulled her shirt over her shoulders, sliding it down to her wrists so that the tangle of fabric worked as an added layer of assurance that her hands would stay on his desk. He took a moment to admire her, leaning against his desk with her eyes closed and head tilted back, struggling to breath through her arousal. He took in the sight of her red and grey lace bra, the lace was slightly sheer but still dark enough to obscure her nipples, making him think of simply ripping it off. He forced himself to move slowly, enjoying how lost she was in submitting to him. He wet his lips slightly and pressed them to the tops of her breasts, the sharp intake of breath bringing her closer to his mouth. He cupped her breast and dragged his thumb over her nipple, his other hand gripped her thigh, leaving his thumb tantalizingly close to her bud of pleasure.  
  
They both froze as the click of Kousuke’s office door opening snapped them out of the erotic trance that they had lost themselves in. Nol’s voice filled the room as he walked in, “Shin-Ae, I thought you were just getting coffee, are you alright –”  
  
Kousuke looked up to see Nol frozen at the sight of them, his eyes darting from his brother to Shin-Ae’s half naked body. “I - I’m sorry, I –”  
  
“Out.” Kousuke’s voice reverberated through the room and Nol scrambled to leave the office. When he was out of sight and Kousuke had heard the office door click completely closed he looked back to Shin-Ae. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking when I started this. I hope you don’t…” He trailed off as he met her intense gaze. Her eyes seemed to burn holes through his apology, it was clear that she didn’t want to hear it, but he had no idea what she was thinking. He furrowed his brow, “What is it?”  
  
Her breathing had steadied, but she hadn’t moved her hands from the desk. “I don’t want to stop, Kousuke.”  
  
His brows shot up in surprise, he had been sure that after his brother had walked in on them she would have scrambled out of his office in shame. He was amazed at her desire to continue, and felt that stir of arousal deep within him again. He realized that she wasn’t simply playing a game with him, she was truly giving herself to him, submitting to him, even after the spell had been broken. He pressed a kiss to her lips, gently so that he didn’t allow himself to get sucked back into her, “I don’t want to stop either, but this isn’t a safe place to continue. I doubt Nol will say anything, but if anyone else should walk into this office we would have a major issue.” She sighed against his lips and he chuckled softly. “Would you like to go to my place?”  
  
Shin-Ae surprised herself at how eagerly she nodded at his proposal, “Yes, please.” He gently pulled her shirt back over her shoulders and buttoned it closed, noting that her hands were still flat on the desk. She watched his face as he closed the buttons of her shirt and adjusted her clothes so that she looked completely put together again.  
  
He took a step back but she still didn’t move, and then he realized that she didn’t plan to stand up until he released her from her position leaning against his desk. He smiled at her, deeply pleased with her in this moment. He had noted the increasing tension between them the last few months but had never expected this, not many women were willing to submit to his desires like that, and he had certainly never dreamed that Shin-Ae would. He decided to test her dedication to submission; he straightened his own shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles at the sides, and put on his coat. He began walking towards the door of his office, leaving her leaning against the desk. He opened the door and then let it click closed again, waiting to see if she would move after she thought he left. He stood in silence, watching her, but she didn’t move from her place against the desk. Satisfied, he walked back to her, leaning into her ear from across the desk. He whispered against her skin, “Good girl, when I leave this office you will get up and get your coat, meet me in the parking lot in five minutes. You’re not to tell anyone where you’re going. Do you understand?”  
  
She felt the warmth of her arousal spreading between her thighs as he whispered into her ear. “Yes.”  
  
He trailed a finger along her jaw and over her neck, “You should call me Sir.”  
  
Shin-Ae shivered with delight, “Yes Sir.”  
  
“Good girl, I’ll see you in five minutes.”  
  
She could feel him pull away from her and listened as he left the room. As soon as she knew he was gone she hurriedly made sure her outfit was properly adjusted and she rushed to get her coat and get to the parking garage. She knew that getting there in five minutes wouldn’t be easy, but she wasn’t going to end this game now.


	2. The Couch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kousuke gets Shin-Ae to his hotel apartment and dominates her completely, giving her her first taste of submission.  
————————————————————————————————-

Shin-Ae was surprised to see Kousuke standing at the passenger side of his car, clearly waiting for her. She could see the edges of his lips curl up ever so slightly, but she didn’t need to see a complete smile from him to know that he was obviously pleased that she had come down to the parking garage, she knew that he was going to enjoy this afternoon with her. Anticipation and nervousness bundled together in her chest, forming a lump in her throat that almost prevented her from taking a deep breath as she slowly walked towards him. He had to know that she was inexperienced, that this would be a first for her, but his cool demeanor and confident air of domination reassured her and gave her the confidence she needed to follow through with her desires. Shin-Ae had thought of submitting to a man – to Kousuke, actually – many times before, but she had yet to be made to feel comfortable enough, sensual enough, and, perhaps most importantly, wanted enough to try to act on any of her desires. She had yet to feel wanted in a way that made her even want to kiss a man, let alone let him take complete control of her. But Kousuke was different; over the last few months she could see his increasing attraction to her, she caught him staring at her body, she noticed the little breath he took in through his nose if she was close enough that he could smell her hair, and she was hyper aware of how he would brush his hand along hers when they passed by one another. All of which seemed innocent enough; were she not paying attention she may not have even realized any of it, but her attraction to Kousuke made her so aware of everything that he did that she didn’t miss a single moment that his attention was on her. But despite knowing that he was attracted to her, she had no idea if he had any desire to act on that attraction, or even acknowledge it. Until she could hear the jealousy in his tone when she was making coffee for Nol, that moment had made her completely sure of his desires, and it had boosted her confidence enough to intentionally get close enough to him, in a private moment, so that he would have an opportunity to act on his desires. Shin-Ae smiled at herself as she thought about all of this, and then realized that she had simply gotten lucky in terms of Kousuke being dominant sexually as well as in every day life. 

He held the passenger door open for her and she got in quietly, she went to reach for the seatbelt but his hand stopped hers gently, “Let me, Miss Yoo.” She lowered her hand back to her lap as he pulled the seatbelt across her and fastened it, grazing his fingertips against her thighs as he stood and closed her door. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as he walked around the car to his door, every touch of his fingers, every one of his breaths that she could feel on her skin, every moment in his presence was enough to make her shiver with a kaleidoscope of thoughts and emotions that swirled together so quickly that she couldn’t identify them all. 

Kousuke fastened his seat belt, taking care not to look over at her. He was afraid that if he met her beautiful, intense gaze it would make him lose control and they wouldn’t make it back to his place. As he started the car and pulled out of the parking space he could see her trying to control her breathing, trying to focus on the road ahead of them as she sat quietly beside him. Her hands still rested in her lap, exactly where he had set them when he fastened her seatbelt, but he could see her fidgeting with her fingers. Rather than be annoyed as he usually would, he found himself charmed by her nervous energy. He typically felt that the women who chose to spend time with him only did so because of his family name, his family business, his family money, but it was different with Shin-Ae; the only thing she had ever asked from him was help in saving her father, otherwise it was difficult to even buy her a snack at the vending machine, she was fiercely opposed to relying on him for anything and it was clear that she had no intention of using him as so many women had in the past. He reached over and rested his hand on hers, quieting her fidgeting fingers. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to annoy you.”

He gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, “You didn’t, you have no need to be sorry. I can simply see that you’re nervous, I thought maybe I could provide a small comfort.” He glanced over at her, unsure of the thoughts behind her expression. “We don’t have to do this, we can simply leave it at what happened in my office.” He could feel her looking at him, her beautiful eyes suddenly seeming to burn into his skin. He didn’t want to stop, but his desire to take all of her did not overpower his desire to keep her safe and comfortable. “Would you like me to take you home?”

“No.” Her quick, firm answer surprised him but he noted the sense of relief that washed over him. She turned her hand over and clasped her fingers in his, the simple act of open, honest trust and affection taking him completely by surprise. “I want to do this, Kousuke. I’m not having second thoughts, I’m just a little nervous.”

“I want you to be comfortable Shin-Ae, to feel safe and secure.” He tightened his grip around her delicate fingers, “I’ll gladly take you to my home and make you mine, but I don’t want to rush you. I want you to enjoy this.”

She shifted in her seat so that her body was turned towards him, “I’ve never done this before; I’ve wanted to, I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t ever had the courage to actually do it. I’ve never had the courage to actually do anything that I’ve wanted. And,” she looked down at her lap despite the fact that Kousuke had his eyes on the road rather than her, and she spoke quietly, “no one has ever wanted me like this.”

He raised a brow at her, “Shin-Ae, I highly doubt no one has wanted you.”

“My entire life I have been treated as an outsider, I’ve been called harsh and mean, guys don’t like girls like me. They like girls who wear makeup and skirts, and who giggle even when the joke isn’t funny and who never say anything inappropriate or honest. They like girls who live to make them look and feel better. So no, no one has ever wanted me like this, you’re the first to touch me like that, to kiss me, to be able to read me without me having to say anything.”

Kousuke furrowed his brow for a moment, “Pardon me for asking, this may be too personal, but, have you…ah, that is, I mean, are you –”

“A virgin? No.”

He nodded, a bit relieved. He hadn’t wanted to pry but he also wanted to be sure he wasn’t taking advantage of her. He kept his hand in hers as he drove, she hadn’t loosened her grip and he didn’t intend to pull away if she didn’t want him to. He had to force himself to focus on the road, Shin-Ae had always been somewhat distracting for him, but after what happened in his office he was intensely aware of her presence beside him and it took all the self control he had not to pull over and simply have his way with her on the side of the road. 

Kousuke pulled up to the front of the hotel, he didn’t usually allow the valet to touch his car but he didn’t want to waste time that could be used to get Shin-Ae upstairs. He pulled her hand across the center console, their fingers still entwined, and he touched his lips to the back of her hand. “Don’t move, I’ll come get you.” She nodded and Kousuke quickly got out and walked around the car, Shin-Ae unbuckled her seatbelt as he opened the door and offered his hand to her. She tentatively placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her out of the car as the valet got in the drivers side. Kousuke met her bright brown eyes and gave her a small smile, it was reassuring, sweet, and surprisingly seductive. “Come,” he commanded quietly.

Shin-Ae followed him to the elevator, forcing herself to focus on every step she took, afraid she would completely lose herself in the anticipation that was burning in her stomach. She hardly noticed the elevator doors opening, hardly noticed Kousuke guiding her into the metal box and the doors closing behind them. Her breathing quickened as he turned to face her, the intensity of his bright blue eyes entrancing her completely. She didn’t move as he slowly traced her jawline with the tips of his fingers, as he gently ran his thumb over her bottom lip. She parted her lips and touched the tip of her tongue to his thumb, inviting him to come closer. Kousuke moved his hand down slowly, his fingertips resting lightly on her throat as he took a step closer to her and brought his lips gently to hers. She melted into his kiss, leaning towards him to try to get closer, but he kept the kiss light and short. The ding of the elevator signaled to him to pull his lips from Shin-Ae’s and clasp his hand lightly around her wrist, he quickly led her out of the elevator and to his suite, swinging the door closed behind them. 

He gestured to the couch and released her wrist, “Go sit, relax for a moment.” He disappeared into the kitchen and Shin-Ae sat tentatively on his leather couch. She had been in his suite before, but this time she felt far more comfortable than when she had been there with his mother; there wasn’t as much tension in the air, the suite even felt more welcoming than it had with her in it. 

Kousuke reappeared with a glass of ice water and set it front of Shin-Ae. “Oh, I don’t need –” she looked up at him and shook her head with a small smile, “Thank you.”

He sat down on the other end of the couch and turned towards her, “Shin-Ae, I hope you’re aware that I would never do something to physically harm you.” She nodded, silently waiting for him to get to main point that she knew was coming. “And while I would never do anything to emotionally or mentally harm you, it is possible that doing this – that submitting – could cause upsetting emotions.”

“I haven’t changed my mind, Kousuke.”

He held up a hand to silence her, “I wasn’t suggesting you had. You need to think of a signal, a word that, when used, tells me that you need to immediately stop everything we’re doing. If you become upset, unsure, frightened, anything at all, you need to stop. I don’t know you well enough to be able to tell if you need to stop, so you need to be honest and tell me. Do you understand?” Shin-Ae nodded, “Choose a word please, something you would never use randomly.”

Shin-Ae thought for a moment, she hadn’t thought of the possibility of needing to stop – she simply wanted him, now. “Popcorn.”

He couldn’t suppress his grin; of course the word she chose would be food related. “Very well,” he stood and looked down at her, offering his hand. She placed her hand in his and stood, “should you require a break, or need to stop altogether, you say popcorn and I will immediately stop everything and tend to whatever you need. Are you prepared to fully submit to me?”

She nodded eagerly, “Yes.” He raised his brows at her expectantly and she immediately felt a shiver of excitement down her spine, “Yes Sir.”

He let go of her hand and sat back down, “Remove your shirt and pants, but keep your heels on.” He leaned back against the sofa and watched as Shin-Ae slowly stripped her work clothes off her slender frame. She laid her clothes over the arm of the couch and turned back to Kousuke, unsure of what to do next and feeling awkward standing in her black high heels. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over her, “You’re right,” he said as if reading her mind, “you should take off the heels. You’re uncomfortable.” She slipped them off and set them aside, surprised at how he seemed to read her mind. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs and pointed to the floor in front of him,”I want you to kneel in front of me, right here.” She knelt quickly, surprising both of them with her eagerness to obey, she gazed up at him as she fought to control her breathing. Kousuke lightly traced his fingers along her hairline, across her lips, and down her neck and chest, stopping at the lace edge of her bra. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her collarbone, spreading light kisses across her chest and up her neck before taking her mouth with an urgent kiss that immediately sent a shot of heat straight to her groin, spreading tingles of pleasure across her body. He hooked a finger into her bra and pulled her closer to him, her chest just barely grazing against his shirt. He moved his hands down the sides of her waist, taking care to only touch her with the tips of his fingers so that she trembled slightly as his touch moved to her hips and then along the waist band of her panties. He pulled his lips from hers and she immediately took in an unsteady breath as he continued to tease her with the tips of his fingers. He moved his lips close to her ear and whispered, “Tell me what you want.” The words were hardly more than a breath, but it was enough to make Shin-Ae’s eyelids heavy with arousal and anticipation. She opened her mouth to speak but only a gasp of breath escaped as his fingers distracted her from any form of rational thought required to follow his command. “Tell me,” He said again with a small smile on his lips. He was enjoying watching her try to force herself to speak, slowly coming undone with nothing more than the tips of his fingers on her soft skin. 

“I want…” she forced a ragged breath through her lips and closed her eyes, desperately trying to form words as his fingers teased her. “I want you to touch me.”

“I am touching you,” he responded with a small smirk. “This is all you want?”

“Lower…please.” 

Kousuke lightly trailed his fingers down and traced them along the line of her slit, she was so wet that he could feel the moisture of her arousal through her panties. He could feel her entire body tremble as he touched her, encouraging him to push further. He moved her lace panties to the side and slipped the tip of his finger inside her, she gasped in surprised pleasure and he felt her body clench as she fought to keep still. He slowly slid his finger deeper into her wet folds, watching her mouth fall open slightly as she lost herself in his touch. “Is this where you want me to touch you?” 

“Y-Yes Sir…” She could barely force the words past her lips as every stroke of his finger sent waves of pleasure through her entire body. She didn’t bother trying to keep her eyes open, her eyelids were heavy with the mixture of arousal and yearning. She had felt the growing attraction between her and Kousuke for months, but she had never dreamed that he would command her body so effortlessly, she had never imagined that she would give in to him so completely. She gasped as he added a second finger, her thoughts snapping back to his every little movement. She tried to keep her breathing under control but it was quickly turning into short, shallow pants as his fingers stroked deeper and deeper inside of her. 

Kousuke hardened as he watched the pleasure wash over her, her chest rose and fell unevenly as she fought to breath through the tender stroking of his fingers. He dipped into her as deep as possible, until his knuckles were buried in her, and then pulled his fingers away from her. She let out a disappointed whimper as the pleasure abruptly stopped, tempting him to immediately give her what she clearly wanted, but he didn’t want to move too quickly and overwhelm her – and he wanted to savor her submission in case she didn’t want to do it again. He waited a moment, letting her bring her thoughts back under control before he asked for her focus again. After a few moments, Shin-Ae opened her eyes to see him staring at her, his bright blue eyes studying her intently, the corners of his mouth were curled in a barely noticeable smile as he watched her come back to earth. “I want you to stand up, I’m going to remove your bra and panties.” He rested a hand on her hip to help steady her as she slowly stood up, he could see the slight tremble in her legs and worried for a moment that she wouldn’t be able to stand. He waited until he felt that she was steady enough to stand without him having to worry about catching her and then stood, he stripped his dress shirt off, leaving him in a white tank top and his slacks, and slowly moved behind Shin-Ae. He unhooked her bra and slowly slid it down her arms and then tossed it on top of her clothes on the arm of the couch. He slid his hands up the sides of her waist and then around her front to cup her breasts, his thumbs grazing her nipples tenderly. She allowed her body to lean back against him slightly, letting her weight rest against his chest as he played with her nipples. His fingers moved achingly slowly, but the way that he held her against his chest was comforting and grounding, allowing her to lose herself in the pleasure. When he felt her weight completely rested against him he slowly dragged his hands from her breasts, down her stomach, and hooked his fingers into her panties and pulled them down until they dropped to the floor around her feet. He lightly slid his finger along the opening of her lower lips and traced a circle around her clit, pulling her against him with a hand on her stomach as he put more pressure on her clit and flicked the little bud with the tip of his finger. A moan of pleasure escaped her lips as she felt the pleasure building within her; he knew that the combination of his light touch and the growing arousal within her would bring her to a quick climax if he wasn’t careful. 

Shin-Ae surprised them both by moving a hand behind her to cup his hard dick through his slacks. Kousuke immediately stopped moving his finger over her clit and brought his lips to her ear, “I don’t remember giving you permission to touch me, little flower.”

The term of endearment caught her attention and she turned her head slightly towards him, “Little flower?”

He nodded, letting his lips lightly graze her ear with the movement. “Little flower, because that’s what you are in this moment. You’re blossoming in front of me, opening to my will.”

Even his voice in her ear was arousing, and she found herself incredibly pleased with the little nickname he had suddenly bestowed on her. She didn’t move her hand from his groin, but whispered “Please, Sir…”

She couldn’t miss the low moan that emitted from the back of his throat as she quietly asked his permission. He had a brief thought of punishing her for doing as she pleased despite not having given permission, but he was enjoying her pleasure so thoroughly that he decided it could wait. Rather, he could continue to torment her with light pleasure, keeping her just out of reach of her orgasm until she couldn’t stop herself from begging for release. “Can you open my trousers with one hand?”

“I – I think so…”

“If you can get them open then you may play with it all you wish while we stand here.” As her hand began fumbling with the button at the top of his slacks he dipped his finger back into her wet lips, bringing a sharp gasp from her lips and causing her hand to freeze on his slacks. He stroked slowly, letting the heel of his hand brush her swollen clit, smiling as she struggled to focus on opening his pants. After what seemed like an eternity of teasing her slowly, she finally got his slacks open and pulled his engorged dick from the fabric. She wrapped her hand around him and slowly dragged her hand up to the tip of his dick and back down, he stilled his fingers as he enjoyed the feeling of her soft hand caressing him, he let her pump her hand slowly up and down for a few moments as he decided on what to do next. Finally, he spoke in her ear, commanding her complete attention in order to help him decide what he would do next. “You have a choice to make, little flower. I can make you cum like this, standing with your back to me, or I can bend you over the couch and see how much more pleasure I can bring you.”

“Kousuke…” She breathed his name as a hot jolt of pleasure shot down her stomach and into her pussy. His cock twitched at her name on his lips, he fought the urge to simply pin her down and take her however he pleased. 

“What do you want?” He gave her clit another light flick of his fingertip and nipped lightly at her neck as she struggled to form a cohesive response to his question. He waited, teasing her neck with his tongue and teeth, enjoying her inability to focus. 

“I – I don’t know…Just…I don’t want to cum like this…”

He grasped her wrists gently and brought them behind her, clasping them both in one of his hands at the small of her back, he brought his other hand around her throat and tilted her chip upwards with his fingers, bringing her closer to his lips. “Are you sure you still want to submit to me, little flower?”

“God…Yes. Yes, please, Sir.” He used her wrists as leverage and made her walk around the other side of the couch, pressing the front of her thighs against the back of the couch so that he could bend her over the cushions, and then released her hands as he bent her over so that she could support herself on the seat of the couch. He looked down at her, silently appreciating the arch in her back as she bent over completely, resting her palms flat on the couch cushion so that her body was completely at his mercy. “Spread your legs as wide as you can.” 

“Yes Sir,” Shin-Ae breathed as she spread her legs open until her hips rested on the back of the couch. Her weight was completely supported by her hands and her hips on the couch, she had managed to spread her legs wide enough that none of her body weight was on her feet. Her breath hitched in her throat as he lightly touched her inner thigh, teasing her and then pulling his hand away so that she was left wanting so much more. Her mind was still foggy from the heady mix of arousal and anticipation but she found herself intensely focused; she was intently listening for any hint of when and where he would touch next, her every nerve ending burning as she waited to feel his hands on any part of her body. He ran his hand up her spine, gently pressing the arch of her back and then lightly clasping the hair at the nape of her neck. He pulled her head back and leaned down to her, He could reach her shoulders with his lips and planted a trail of kisses from her shoulder blades to her waist, taking a small bite at her hips that caused her to jump and yelp in a shock of pleasurable pain that seemed to short circuit her brain for a moment. 

He pulled slightly harder on her hair, “Tell me what you like, I want to hear you ask for it.”

Shin-Ae fought to maintain control of her voice but it faltered immediately, “Kousuke…I – I can’t…” 

He cocked a brow as his lips turned upwards slightly, despite her not being able to answer him he was incredibly pleased at how aroused she was and how completely he had undone any shred of her composure. “Would you like me to keep going?”

He gave her hair another light tug as he waited for a response. She let out a sharp gasp of breath and closed her eyes, “Yes Sir, please keep going.” He held onto her hair as he brought a hand around to cup her ass and dig his fingertips into the top of her thigh. He brought his hand back and gave her ass a sharp smack, bringing a yelp of surprise to her lips. It was just hard enough to turn her cheek rosy with the light sting, she moved her hips slightly in a silent plea for more and he brought his hand back again. He waited, watching her body tense in anticipation, refusing to bring his hand back until the thought crossed her mind that he was preparing for something else and she allowed her body to relax. He chose that moment to bring his hand down again, a bit harder this time, the shock overwhelmed her so much that her only response was a gasp of breath as the sting spread like wildfire across her backside. Before the shock could subside, Kousuke brought his hand down to her ass four more times, quickly so that she couldn’t catch her breath between each one. He stopped and rubbed her ass gently, giving her a moment to catch her breath and let the pain subside into a tingling warmth. He let go of her hair and brought his hand around to give her nipple a light pinch before pulling completely away from her. He moved a few feet away, staying out of her sight, and pulled off his tank top. Kousuke pulled his pants down slightly, allowing his cock complete freedom, and stared at Shin-Ae. He ran his hand up and down his length as he took in the sight of her bent over in front of him, legs spread wide so that he could see exactly how wet her pussy was. His balls tightened as she shifted her hips slightly, almost as if she were silently begging him to come back to her. He quietly stepped forward, making sure that she didn’t know how close he was to her, and then rubbed the tip of his dick along her slit, making sure to press it against her clit so that she jumped with the sudden influx of pleasure. Her breathing was heavy, uneven pants that he could see through her entire body. 

He continued to rub her clit with the head of his dick, alternating between light pressure and a rougher push against her. Kousuke gripped her hip firmly with his free hand as she began to writhe with pleasure against him, he was aware that the movement of her hips was out of her control and a direct result of the increasing intensity of the pleasure coursing through her. Her breathing was completely out of control, perforated by her moans of pleasure as he continued to bring her closer to her climax. Shin-Ae tried desperately to push herself against him, begging to feel him inside of her with her body, but he was determined to bring her to a climax before he pushed himself into her wet pussy. He could no longer hold her hips still as she moved against him, her moans getting louder and more urgent as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge. “Don’t cum yet, little flower, let it build up until I tell you.”

She shook her head and gasped desperately, “I can’t – I’m so close, please…” 

“Not yet.” His command was enough to send her over the edge but she forced herself to focus, determined to follow his orders. She knew an even more satisfying reward would come of doing as she was told and she fought her body until she was a writhing, quivering mess moaning against the couch. He lightened the pressure on her clit, teasing her as he could feel her inching closer and closer to the point of no control. 

She let out a moan of tortured pleasure and turned her head back to glimpse at him, “Please, Sir, please…”

“Please what?” He increased the pressure again, moving the head of his dick even faster against her clit. She didn’t respond and so he slapped her ass to get her attention.

She yelped and stiffened her back, “Please, make me cum…” He continued to rub her clit and smacked her ass again, hard enough to send the burning sensation through her ass and into her pussy, increasing the pleasure as the pain subsided. “Oh, god, please Kousuke, please…” She begged, emphasizing the final please in a way that made his dick twitch against her. 

“Cum, now, little flower.” At his command her body convulsed into an overpowering orgasm and he slipped his hard cock into her pussy, forcing her to cum harder while simultaneously building a new sensation within her. She cried out in pleasure and frustration, clenching her pussy around him and stiffening her body. He remained still for a moment, letting her convulse around him as her orgasm faded to a manageable level, he reached up and pinched her nipples lightly, holding them between his fingers to cause small twinges of pain to accompany the waves of pleasure that were rocking her body underneath him. As her moans grew further apart and he could feel her reacting a bit more to the pain than the climax that had coursed through her, he started to pump slowly inside of her. Her body immediately reacted to him, her back arching so that her hips were slightly higher to meet his thrusts. Her arms shook underneath her as her body built up to what seemed to be an impossible orgasm, how she had another one in her after the one he had just given her absolutely beyond her. She couldn’t think straight, all she could focus on was his dick thrusting in and out of her, strong and steady, and the sound of his low moans as he took his pleasure from her body. 

As his thrusts grew stronger and more urgent he wrapped a hand back in her hair and pulled her back as far as she could comfortably go, the stinging sensation bringing her a heightened sense of pleasure as it mingled with the waves of pleasure crashing through her. He moved his other hand to her shoulder, using her as leverage to bury himself deeper inside of her, eliminating any possibility she had of escaping even an inch of his length as he stroked inside of her pussy. She could feel the pleasure building in her again, but it was different this time, she felt it deeper in the pit of her stomach and the sensation felt more like a knot tightening itself around her first climax. “Oh god, I – I’m going to – ah…I’m close…”

“Don’t you dare.” He growled at her, slamming himself against her in one hard thrust to ensure he had her attention. “If you cum before I tell you then I’ll be extremely displeased. Do you understand me?”

She whimpered, frustrated at the white hot spike of pleasure that burned through her as his firm voice seemed to push her orgasm further away from her. “Yes, Sir.” The words were barely audible through her gasps for breath, quickly followed by her high pitched moans of pleasure. She let her head drop slightly and he tugged her hair back again, eliciting a delicious jolt of pain that brought a sharp yelp from her throat. 

“I want you to count to ten. Out loud. One, Sir. Two, Sir. Do you understand?”

She moaned and turned her head slightly in the direction of his voice, “Yes, Sir…”

“When you’ve reached ten, I’ll tell you to cum. You do not cum a moment sooner. Do you understand me?”

“Oh god…Yes, Sir.” 

“Good, start counting.”

She forced herself to take a breath and whimpered as he slowed down and delivered a long, deliberate stroke that touched deep in her pussy. She closed her eyes and forced herself to concentrate. “One, Sir.” She barely choked the words out and his stroke deepened, forcing her to gasp at the sensation of him touching her innermost pleasure spot. The wave of sensation that ripped through her was indescribable, it felt like fire melting her insides. She sucked in a breath and tilted her hips further up, on her tip toes with her hip bones digging into the back of the couch. “Two, Sir…” He matched the depth of the first stroke but was moving faster. “Three, Sir…” His strokes grew harder, pressing harder inside of her, distracting her from the task of counting the next number out. He didn’t try to remind her, part of the game was seeing how long it would take her to get to ten, forcing her to deny herself her own pleasure. After a few deep strokes he paused and let her take a breath, “Four, Sir.” He slammed himself back into her, bringing a sharp moan that delighted him. He grew harder, making his every movement inside of her rougher, harder to focus through. “Five, Sir…Six, Sir…” She rushed the two numbers through her lips as he pulled harder on her hair and steadied himself against her shoulder. His thrusts were hard now, urgent and demanding. “Seven, Sir!” She was practically yelling as she forced herself to keep counting, she shimmied her legs wider, inviting him deeper in. He let go of her hair and gave her nipple a sharp pinch, “Eight, Sir…Oh god…” He twisted her nipple as he continued to fuck her as hard as he could. “Nine Sir…” He twisted her nipple farther, preparing to release it as she orgasmed around him. He could hear her trying desperately to speak but every stroke stopped the words with a moan of pleasure. He pumped harder, not noticing the couch moving slightly across the wood floors at the force of their bodies against the back of it. Finally, she squeezed out her last number, “Ten, Sir!” It was barely audible but he immediately felt her body clench around his, her orgasm ripping through her so hard that it brought his climax to the edge and he fought to control himself. He continued moving inside of her, hard and deep as her walls twitched around him, and as her orgasm seemed to slow he allowed himself to cum as well. He leaned over her and wrapped an arm around her torso, holding her tightly against him, as he supported them both on his other arm that was resting on the seat of the couch beside hers. He groaned with uncontrolled pleasure his own climax washed over them both, she could feel him twitching inside of her as his body calmed and relaxed. She hadn’t realized how ragged and uneven his breathing was until she could feel him breathing against her. 

He pulled out of her, but didn’t release her from his grip. Keeping her tight against him, he slowly stood, pulling them both upright. Her legs were weak and shaking, he realized that she wouldn’t be able to support herself until her body calmed down so he scooped her up into his arms. He walked around the couch and sat down, he let her body rest against him, draped across his lap. He didn’t bother to adjust his trousers or let her get dressed. He simply reached for the light, soft blanket that he kept draped across the other end of the couch and pulled it over them. Shin-Ae rested her head against his shoulder and shut her eyes, he kept her close, lightly running his hands up and down her bare back as she came back down to earth. She couldn’t help the light tingle of arousal between her legs as his hands touched her skin, but she was lost in this moment of affection with him. He leaned back against the couch, pulling her with him so that she was completely relaxed against his chest, and pressed a soft skin to her forehead before leaning his head back and allowing his eyes to drift closed.


	3. After...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shin-Ae and Kousuke experience a new kind of intimacy in the wake of their unexpected tryst. And Shin-Ae is left wanting so much more as the day begins...  
_______________________________________________

Kousuke woke with Shin-Ae still draped across his lap under the blanket, her hand was resting on the side of his neck as if she were clinging to him in her sleep. He gently moved her hand from his neck and shifted her slowly onto the couch so that he could get up. He laid her down and made sure she was covered with the blanket before going upstairs to find comfortable clothes to change into. The apartment was dark, they had slept for at least four hours and the sun had set. Kousuke knew he should wake her and take her home, but he wasn’t ready for her to leave yet. He wasn’t even hoping for anything else to happen between the two of them, he simply liked having her here. Somehow, just knowing that she was downstairs on the couch, the apartment felt warmer, not quite as empty as it usually felt. He slipped his slacks off and put on a pair of grey sweats and then changed his shirt into a black v-neck tee. He also pulled out a pair of black sweats and an old t shirt for Shin-Ae to put on when she woke up – knowing her, she’d be less than thrilled to put her work clothes back on and he was sure that having something comfortable to wear would ease the inevitable storm of thoughts and emotions that she would experience when she woke. 

Shin-Ae woke to the unmistakable smell of bacon, her sense of smell becoming fully alert before her eyes had even focused. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but once she did she sat straight up as her mind scrambled. She felt the cool air on her nipples and realized that she was still undressed, she grabbed the blanket to her chest and glanced around the room, trying to get her bearings. Her eyes landed on her clothes, still laying neatly over the arm of the couch, and then she saw the folded sweats and t shirt that had been laid next to her. She considered her options for a moment and opted for the clothes Kousuke had left for her, although she didn’t like taking things from him she had no interest in squeezing back into her office clothes. She slipped her panties back on but chose to leave the bra off – after all it wasn’t like she needed to worry about it wearing his t shirt – and slipped into his clothes. They were obviously too large for her, but still comfortable and somehow intimate. Shin-Ae was trying to put her thoughts together, trying to put a finger on the feelings that were rolling through her, when the memory of what she had done earlier flashed through her brain. A part of her grew warm with arousal, that feeling between her thighs returning immediately, but a larger part of her immediately went into panic mode. She had no idea how she was going to face him, she was sure that he must think she was out of her mind, or worse – he would think that she was just another woman throwing herself at him. She covered her face in her hands and flopped down on the couch with a frustrated sigh.

“Stop freaking out.” Shin-Ae jumped as his voice came out of nowhere. She dropped her hands to her lap and looked up at him as he set a plate down in front of her with bacon, eggs, and french toast. “You should eat, it will make you feel better.”

She leaned forward and took the fork from him, “What time is it?”

He sat down beside her, leaving a small space between the two of them but close enough that she could have easily touched him with a slight movement of her arm. “Almost nine o’clock. You slept almost six hours, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“Kousuke, I don’t want you to think I –” 

“Stop.” He set his own fork down and took her empty hand in his, “I don’t think any of the things you’re worried about. I can see it all over your face, I don’t think you’re like any of the women who’ve thrown themselves at me because of my money or my family name, I don’t think you’re a slut or whatever word you had pinned on yourself. I think that you and I acted on our mutual attraction and shared something that surprised us both. And Shin-Ae,” he waited until she met his eyes with her own, “it was very special to me.” She stared into his eyes for a moment, searching for any hint of deception in his bright blue gaze. Something in her told her to trust him, to simply relax and enjoy what he was offering her. It was not often that Kousuke let his guard down with her – with anyone – and his complete, open honesty was surprising. She was not, however, surprised that he had cooked for her; since they had first met he had made it a habit of feeding her whenever he got the chance. It was one of the small, seemingly meaningless gestures that assured her that beneath his cold façade was a tender, caring man who had come to be increasingly concerned with her well being. “You need to eat, if you want something else I’ll get you whatever you like, but I insist that you eat something. After this afternoon you need to take care of yourself and let your body recover. It may not seem like it now, but you exhausted a very large portion of your energy – mentally and physically.”

She turned back to her food, leaving her hand in his as she took a bite of french toast. “You know you don’t have to do this, I can take care of myself.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it so that he could eat his own plate of food, “When a woman submits to a Dominant it becomes an important part of his responsibilities to take care of her, not only during the session itself but afterwards as well. Even if you choose never to submit to me again, until I am assured that you’re physically recovered and that you’re emotionally and mentally in a good place, you are still mine to take care of. Aftercare is arguably the most important part of the entire thing, and I know you well enough to know that, at the very least, you need to eat.”

Her lips twitched in a small smile. The thought of Kousuke caring for her used to be incredibly uncomfortable and even stressful, but now, sitting here beside him, after everything they had done that afternoon, she welcomed his attention. Shin-Ae hadn’t realized exactly how hungry she was until she had finished her plate and found herself eyeing his untouched bacon. She weighed the options in her head, but her hunger won out over any hesitation she had. She reached over and nonchalantly took a strip of bacon and brought it to her lips. There was a moment of silence, Shin-Ae was sure that she would look over and see his trademark stare, but instead Kousuke laughed. Shin-Ae was shocked; he was actually laughing, a real, warm laugh that filled the room. She looked over at him, unable to believe that he was truly laughing at her completely inappropriate behavior, to see his lips cracked in a full smile as he laughed. After a moment his laugh dulled to a chuckle and he took her empty plate, set his – still almost full – plate in front of her and went back to the kitchen. She looked down at his food, now sitting in front of her waiting to be eaten, and then looked up to see him coming back from the kitchen with another slice of french toast and more eggs on the plate that he had taken from her. “I’m sorry, you didn’t have to give me your plate, I can eat whatever is left –”

He held a hand up to silence her as he sat down, still smiling. “No need, little flower. Eat, I’m not that hungry anyway, I don’t have quite the appetite you do.” He winked at her (a real wink, not the aggressive, stressed out blinking from the incident with Meg at Wacdonalds) and began eating. She simply stared at him for a long moment; first the laugh and now he had winked at her. It was as if she was seeing a completely new side of him, a warm and carefree side that she had no idea was hiding beneath his stony exterior. He glanced over at her and furrowed his brow a bit, “Eat, I mean it.” His tone had a hint of the authoritative air that she liked far too much, so she set her surprise aside and focused on the plate of food he had given her. When she finished she moved to take her plate to the kitchen, but Kousuke laid a hand on her thigh to stop her, “The only thing that you are to do right now is relax. I will take care of whatever you need.”

Shin-Ae frowned at him, “Kousuke, I am not helpless. I can take my plate to the kitchen.”

He stood and stacked the two plates on top of one another and collected their forks. He leaned down to her and placed a light kiss on her forehead, “I never said you were helpless little flower, but I did say that right now it is my job to take care of you. I meant what I said; I want you to relax, to just rest.” 

Shin-Ae gave a huff of frustration and leaned back against the couch. “Fine. I’ll just sit here.”

He gave her a small smile, surprisingly charmed by her attitude. “Would you like something to drink? Water, tea, coffee, coke?”

She looked up at him, “I wouldn’t take you for the type to have coke in the fridge.” He simply looked at her, expectantly waiting for an answer. “Coke sounds good, please.” He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Shin-Ae leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She was surprised at how tired she was, not just physically but mentally as well. 

“I told you that you would be exhausted.” Once again, his voice seemed to appear out of nowhere, making her jump with surprise. His footsteps were almost silent, leaving her completely unaware of where he was in the apartment unless she was actively watching for him. 

“Jesus, you scared me.” He sat down beside her and handed her a small glass. She took a sip and set it on the table before turning to look at him. “Kousuke, why did you kiss me?”

“You’ll have to be more specific, my dear. We’ve shared quite a few kisses today.”

“The first kiss, in your office.”

He looked at her with slightly raised eyebrows, trying to decipher her tone. “Should I not have? Did you not enjoy it?”

“I didn’t say that, Kousuke. I just…” she looked away and sighed, “why today, of all days? You’ve never shown that type of interest in me before. I mean, I’ve seen you staring at me, and I know you let your hand brush mine on purpose when we pass by one another. But why did you decide to kiss me?”

“It just felt like the right moment. I’m sure you’ve been able to tell that I’ve had a growing attraction for you, but I haven’t ever been able to find a moment that felt like it was right. Today, you leaning against my desk, it seemed like you were attracted to me as well, in more than just a physical way, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.” He leaned back on the couch, relaxing his position, and looked away from her. “I am not attracted to many women, Shin-Ae. And its difficult to tell if a woman is genuinely interested in me or they are simply attracted to the wealth and status that comes with me. In all the time I’ve known you, that has never seemed to matter to you, which makes it very easy to acknowledge my attraction to you without the worry in the back of my mind as to whether or not you may have anterior motives. I thought that it could be my only chance to show you how I feel, I didn’t want to miss it.” He looked back at her, fighting every urge in his body to take her in his arms as she gazed at him, “Do you regret what happened?”

She shook her head, “Not at all, I just didn’t expect you to act on it. I didn’t expect any of this.” 

He reached over and took her hand, gently tugging her towards him. He pulled her into his arms so that she was laying against his chest and he gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Shin-Ae answered quietly as she listened to his heartbeat in his chest. 

“I should take you home, I don’t want your father to worry.”

“He’s still in the rehabilitation center they sent him to when he left the hospital so I haven’t been staying at home since that woman who says she’s my sister broke in the second time.”

He furrowed his brow, remembering that night that she had called and asked him to come over. It had been month since that night, he’d had no idea that she wasn’t staying at home. “Where have you been staying, Shin-Ae?”

“With Maya,” she sighed. 

“Well,” he didn’t want to take her anywhere but he could tell she was incredibly tired and she needed rest. Plus, he didn’t want her to worry anyone. “I suppose I should take you back to Maya’s then.”

“Please no.” He looked down at her in surprise, Maya was her best friend so he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to go back. “Just, let me stay here a while longer, please.” 

Kousuke sighed and nodded, “Very well, you may stay here little flower. But on one condition.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of wondering and gratitude. “You’re going to do as I say and rest. Don’t argue with me about getting your own drinks, don’t fuss about me taking care of you. You need to relax and just let yourself recuperate. Yes?” She nodded and rested her head on his chest again, closing her eyes. He let her lay on him for a moment, and then he decided that she wasn’t going to sleep on his couch. 

He gathered her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to his bed. She was barely awake as he laid her down and pulled a blanket on top of her. He gave her a light kiss on her lips and pulled away, but she caught his arm and whispered, “Please stay with me?”

“It’s okay, you rest here, I’ll be right downstairs.”

“No,” she gave him a light tug, “Please Kousuke. Come lay with me, hold me.” He looked down at her, his mind playing tug of war with itself, but the look of gentle desperation in her eyes as she stared up at him won. He nodded and climbed into the bed beside her, she turned to face him and he pulled her close to him, nestling her body against his. He held her close to him, absentmindedly playing with her hair as he watched her drift off to sleep. He thought back to her question, wondering why she was so determined to know what had made him choose to kiss her that day. A small, nagging insecurity in the back of his mind made him think that she regretted everything they had done, but the thought was quickly erased from his mind as she snuggled closer to him in her sleep, tightening her arm around his chest as she brought her body closer to his. He gazed at her, taking in the beautiful lines of her face as she slept. Her face was completely relaxed and her body was soft and compliant to every little move he made. He couldn’t help but stare, he wanted to memorize everything about Shin-Ae in this moment, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that this may be the only chance he’d have to see her so peaceful and worry free. 

While Kousuke put on a stoic, uncaring face, in reality he worried constantly about what Shin-Ae thought of him. He had never imagined she would return even the simplest of his affections, let alone submit to him as she had. He knew that the gentlemanly thing to do was insist on taking her home, but he had a nagging fear that once she left and had time to think about everything, once she had time away from, she would begin to wish she hadn’t come here with him, and she wouldn’t ever be back. He especially worried about what she would think after Nol finally talked to her. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that Nol would simply let go of what he saw; he likely wouldn’t approach Kousuke about it, at least not immediately, but he was sure that Nol would talk to Shin-Ae about it the first chance he got. Kousuke knew that Nol had feelings for Shin-Ae, he hadn’t acted on them yet due to his relationship with Alyssa, but the feelings were there, and Nol didn’t have a poker face. He would be upset and there would be no hiding it. He wished he could simply keep her there, in this happy little bubble that they had created, no worries of what was going on in the outside world. He wished it could stay just the two of them, comfortable and affectionate with one another, even if they didn’t have sex again. 

Of course, Kousuke wouldn’t turn down another round with Shin-Ae. He had dominated women before, women who were far more experienced in BDSM than her, but nothing compared to what he felt with Shin-Ae. It had been the most amazing, compelling sexual exchange he had ever had. He had no idea why their connection was so different from those he had felt in the past, but he suspected that it was in part due to his level of trust in her. She was the first woman that he had been with whose motives he had absolutely no question about. Of course he found himself worried that she would reject him in the end, that she would burst their little bubble and refuse to come back to it, but he had no worry that she would attempt to use their encounter to her benefit. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep as his thoughts ran through every little worry and idea that he had, but he was able to relax as he focused on how she felt in his arms and he allowed himself to drift off as he pulled her closer to him. 

Kousuke found himself awake multiple times through the night, each time immediately assuring himself that Shin-Ae was still cuddled up beside him before returning to sleep. It was as if he were afraid that he was going to wake up to find that she had snuck out while he was sleeping, or – even worse – that it was all a dream and she had never been there in the first place. Each time he woke he would move slightly, causing her to snuggle herself deeper into his arms, and he found himself comforted enough to quickly fall back asleep. 

But when he woke with the morning light streaming in through the windows, he moved his arms and felt nothing in the bed beside him. He reached across the other pillow, still feeling an empty bed, and he shot up into a sitting position. He looked around, searching for any sign that she was nearby, that she had been there at all, but saw nothing. He sighed and got out of bed, he was now convinced that he had been dreaming, or hallucinating, and the disappointment in the pit of his stomach was overwhelming. He could feel his mood turn sour, as if it were a dark cloud blocking out the sun. He walked downstairs, not paying attention enough to notice her clothes still on the couch, and just as he rounded the corner to go to the kitchen, Shin-Ae appeared in the door to the apartment, holding a grocery bag full of food. 

“Good morning,” she said to him with a smile. “I didn’t want to wake you, I could feel you wake up every few hours last night, you must be tired.”

Relief washed over him as she walked to the kitchen, still wearing his sweats and t shirt. His mood immediately turned light and comfortable, a stark change from the tension that had washed over him a moment ago. “I thought I told you that you were to let me take care of you. That was the condition you agreed to last night when you asked to stay.”

She nodded, “That was last night. I stayed the night, you took care of me, that deal has been fulfilled.”

He stared at her for a moment, tempted to argue semantics with her, but he decided on simply letting her have her way. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her unpack muffins, bagels, and a few bottles of juice from the bag. “I have food here, you know. You didn’t have to go buy breakfast.”

“Trust me, I can’t cook the way you can. This was the safer option.” She took a bite from one of the blueberry muffins and turned to him, “We have to work today. Could I go in late?” He raised a brow at her quizzically, “I need to go get a change of clothes but I’d like to wait until Maya and her mom are gone. I’m not looking forward to explaining where I was last night.”

He nodded, “You can be late, but I’ll take you and buy you a new outfit. You don’t have to go back until you’re ready.”

She gave him a small smile, “The last time you bought me work clothes –”

“You can choose whatever you like, as long as its office appropriate.” He watched her for a moment, his thoughts going back and forth. Part of him knew she was right, they would have to go to work, but he wanted to keep them both there in the safety and comfort of his apartment where no one was looking at them, they didn’t have to worry about rumors (he had no idea if Nol had told anyone what he had walked in on), and they didn’t have to worry about putting distance between them and behaving as if they hardly knew one another. Kousuke pulled out his phone, “I have an idea to make this simpler…” He opened his Rubrebby app and clicked the tab to open the women’s dress clothes before handing the phone to Shin-Ae. “Choose whatever you like, I’ll have it delivered here. You don’t have to choose between going shopping in day old, dirty clothes and leaving here wearing my sweats. And we can go to the office whenever you’re ready.”

She took the phone from him and started scrolling, screwing up her face as she tried desperately to avoid looking at the prices. She knew that he wouldn’t care about the cost, as long as she chose something up to his standards he probably wouldn’t even look twice at the price tag, but it was an extravagance that she was far from accustomed to. She glanced up at him, “Isn’t there any place I can get clothes from that isn’t quite so expensive? More…practical, perhaps?”

He stepped towards her, closing the gap between the two of them in one easy glide, and placed his hands on the counter on either side of her. “Miss Yoo, you know that you are to dress according to office standards, don’t argue with me, just pick what you like from the store I choose.” He was dangerously close to her, his voice easily distracting her from the task he had given her as it instigated the familiar flutter in her stomach. He didn’t move away as she returned her focus to the phone screen, in an attempt to focus she turned away from him, careful not to brush against him as she turned around in the small space between his arms. This however failed to achieve the desired affect as he took the opportunity to press his chest lightly to her back and plant small kisses on the side of her neck as he watched her scroll through the options on the app. Her eyes drifted closed involuntarily as her thumb continued to scroll down the page, it was too easy to lose herself in his touch, to completely give in to his every desire. He brought his lips to her ear and whispered softly, “Do you trust me?” A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she nodded her head, eyes still closed – he didn’t need to ask, they were both aware that she trusted him implicitly at this point. He took the phone from her hands and quickly chose an outfit and submitted the order for delivery, Shin-Ae was so out of focus that she didn’t even bother to try to look at what he had ordered. If it meant even one more touch from him, one more moment of his attention, she would wear whatever he chose for her. He set the phone down on the counter and lightly brushed her hair to one side, pulling it all over her shoulder before lightly tracing his fingers from her collar bone up her throat and to her jaw to tilt her head all the way to the side. He could feel her heart beat as her pulse began to race against his fingers and her gave her ear a light bite and pressed his body more firmly against hers. She was trapped between him and the counter, but the thought of trying to move away from him didn’t even cross her mind. 

“Hands on the counter.” She obeyed immediately, resting her palms flat on the marble counter top as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. “How long before you start to argue with everything I say again?”

Shin-Ae couldn’t help but smile, “Are you complaining, Sir?” 

“Not at all,” he ran his fingers along the waistline of her sweats with a featherlight touch that gave her goosebumps. “I’m just curious as to whether or not I should savor this, if I should take advantage before you go back to being stubborn and obstinate on principle.” 

She lightly elbowed him in the stomach, “I am not stubborn on principle! You’re just a jerk sometimes –”

He caught her wrist as she elbowed him, “I believe I said your hands were to be on the counter, didn’t I?”

Shin-Ae stilled in his grasp, she felt a deep twinge of arousal at the change in his tone. “Yes Sir, you did.”

“And where is your hand?”

A shiver of pleasure ran through her body and her breath caught in her throat. A part of her wanted to immediately give in to him in hopes that she would feel even a fraction of the pleasure he had given her last night, but a bigger part of her wanted to test her limits while he seemed to be in a good mood. “Well,” she said breathlessly, “You deserved it.” 

He spun her around to face him, bringing a sharp gasp of surprise from her lips. “Oh, I did?” The mischievous grin on his silenced Shin-Ae, her eyes widened as she wondered what she had just gotten herself into with such a little comment. “I was going to get you off again before we left for work, but now I’m not so sure that you deserve it little flower.” A quiet whimper escaped her lips as he pressed himself against her, trapping her between him and the counter, and he greedily took her lips with his own. She melted against him almost instantly, her body responding to his faster than her mind could process her thoughts. He rested his weight on his hands, using the counter top to hold her against him as her knees went weak under his kiss. She snaked her hands around his neck in attempt to steady herself, not completely trusting him to hold her up if her legs gave out beneath her. She could feel his low groan against her lips as her fingers curled in his hair and she pressed to deepen the kiss. She yelped in surprise as he quickly lifted her up and set her on the countertop, pressing his hips to hers so that she could feel his hard dick through her sweats, pressed against her. He didn’t attempt to stop her hands roaming freely through his hair and over his neck, but he kept his hands firmly on her hips, his thumbs lightly pressing into the sensitive skin just beside her hip bones. She squirmed a little under the pressure of his thumbs but it only served to make him pull her tighter against him, he was enjoying the feel of her uncontrollably responding to such a small touch. 

Just as he slipped his hands under her shirt and was slowly making his way up to her breasts they heard the doorbell chime. “Fuck,” he breathed the curse against her lips and quickly pulled himself away from her to go answer the door. He left her sitting in the counter struggling to catch her breath as she listened to him mutter a quick thanks and close the door. He came back to the kitchen, careful not to get too close to her as he didn’t think he could control himself. He set a Rubrebby bag down beside her, “Get dressed, be ready to leave in 20 minutes.” He quickly left the kitchen and she could hear him go upstairs to get dressed.

Shin-Ae sighed and looked at the bag, realizing she had no idea what he had chosen for her. She carefully pulled out the boxes and opened them, relieved to find a burgundy silk button up shirt and a high waited pair of black pants with two rows of black buttons down the front. She scrunched her nose up at the high waist, realizing she had never worn pants like these, but shrugged as she supposed he could have dressed her in something far more ridiculous. She took a bite of her discarded muffin before slipping off the counter and stripping out of Kousuke’s clothes. She dressed quickly, surprised to find the outfit was very comfortable and easy to move in. She actually liked the way that the high waisted pants fit her, even without a mirror she could tell they looked good on her form without being revealing or inappropriate. She went to the living room and sat down on the couch to slip on her heels as she heard Kousuke coming down the stairs. She looked up and couldn’t help but smile; of course he looked perfect in a neatly pressed suit and immaculately combed hair. 

“Are you ready?” 

Shin-Ae nodded at him and stood, “Yes.” She watched as he looked her up and down, obviously taking in the sight of her wearing the clothes that he had picked out for her. “I like the outfit, thank you.”

He forced his eyes to meet hers, “My pleasure, Miss Yoo. It’s rather cold out lately, I’ll lend you one of my coats to wear so you don’t catch a chill.” She followed him to the door and smiled as he dropped one of his (clearly expensive) coats on her shoulders before putting one on himself. She took a moment to inhale the faint scent of him on the coat, surprised as always at how good he smelt, and then – with a heavy sigh of disappointment – she walked through the door that he was holding open for her. She didn’t want to have to go to work, she wanted to be able to stay in his apartment with him all day, enjoying this new side of him that she hadn’t seen before. And of course, after being left wound up and wanting on the kitchen counter, she wanted to do a lot more than simply cuddle and talk all day.


	4. Overwhelming emotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeong-Gi confronts Shin-Ae about her relationship with Kousuke and his feelings, sending Shin-Ae running into Kousuke’s arms. 
> 
> Special thanks to the ladies helping me proof read, acting as amazing betas for my writing, and for always being there to help me sort out the millions of ideas bouncing around my mind! —————————————————————————————————

Yeong-Gi looked up as he heard Kousuke’s voice. He watched as Kousuke and Shin-Ae walked into his office together both with small smiles on their lips. His stomach twisted with jealousy as he thought about the two of them disappearing shortly after he walked in on them in Kousuke’s office, fairly sure he knew where they had gone and what they had done. He hadn’t mentioned it to anyone, and he didn’t plan to, but he knew that he had to talk to Shin-Ae before he went completely crazy. He knew that Kousuke had developed feelings for Shin-Ae, he could see it every time she was around them, but he had never imagined that Shin-Ae reciprocated those feelings. 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the image of them kissing out of his mind. He had gone home and spent hours beating the hell out of his punching bag, but it was as if the sight of Kousuke’s hand on Shin-Ae’s throat was etched into the back of his eyelids, as if her quiet moan when Kousuke pulled his mouth from hers to look up was constantly ringing in his ears like a bad case of tinnitus. But the most infuriating part of it all for Yeong-Gi was that, despite his jealousy and his deep seated disdain for his brother, he had been incredibly turned on seeing her like that. So turned on, in fact, that a part of him didn’t want to forget. 

He waited impatiently, bouncing his leg under his desk, watching for Shin-Ae to go to the office kitchen to get something to eat or drink. He knew that would be his best chance to talk to her alone for even a few minutes, as she spent most of her time at work in and around Kousuke’s office. Finally, after almost an hour, he saw her walking down the hallway towards the kitchen, he waited she couldn’t see him and then quickly made his way through the door behind her, shutting it as he entered. She turned around and gave him a small smile, “Good morning, Yeong-Gi.”

He stared at her for a moment, suddenly unable to form any even a single one of the million words bouncing around in his head. He sighed and muttered one, single word, “Why?”

Shin-Ae frowned at him, confused and unsure of how to respond. “Why, what?”

“Why did you – I mean, what happened yesterday…”

She sighed and gave him a small nod, “We didn’t plan for that to happen, it just sort of…happened. We got lost in a moment.” She shrugged and looked down at the floor. Yeong-Gi could see the hint of a smile on her lips as the memory of the moment he had walked in on went through both their minds and he was, again, overcome with jealousy. 

He acted impulsively, letting his emotion block out any logical thought; he crossed the small kitchen and took her face in his hands, forcing her gaze up to his before he crushed his lips to hers with a force that nearly knocked Shin-Ae completely off balance. She stiffened against him but it didn’t stop him from deepening the kiss, she could feel the yearning and pain so intensely that she couldn’t help but soften her lips against his. He felt her lips parting slightly, felt the stiffness in her body ease as he pressed himself against her. He took advantage to the slight opening of her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss and forcing a wave of heat through her body. His kiss was rough, hard – he wasn’t asking for her mouth, he was taking it with his own in a display of need that surprised them both. 

Shin-Ae’s body responded involuntarily, allowing Yeong-Gi to press closer to her until their bodies were completely flush against one another. She struggled to collect her thoughts, her mind was hazy and it seemed impossible to focus on anything other than Yeong-Gi’s body evoking every reaction possible from hers. But, as his tongue swirled against hers, Shin-Ae realized that she was thinking of Kousuke rather than Yeong-Gi, and her mind quickly snapped out of the trance he had induced. Shin-Ae pulled her lips from his as she shoved his body away from hers, desperate to end the intense display of desire. Her strength wasn’t a true match for Yeong-Gi’s body, so he didn’t move far from her, but he was surprised by her sudden change of reaction and pulled himself away from her slightly and looked down at her. 

He furrowed his brow, surprised by the sudden change in her. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head incredulously, “You really have to ask me that?” She stared at him, her mouth open in disbelief. Yeong-Gi had never struck her as the unfaithful type, his complete lack of regard for his relationship shocked her, “How could you do that, Yeong-Gi? How could you do that when you have Alyssa? I know she isn’t around much and you don’t get to talk to her all the time but still, you can’t just –”

“We broke up,” he interrupted her with a matter of fact tone that quieted her instantly. He watched her face for a moment as she processed what he had just said to her and he took the opportunity to explain while she was still at a loss for words. “We broke up the night you were in the hospital. That party was the first time I had seen her in months, and I didn’t even want to be around her. I spent the entire night thinking about you, worrying about if you were okay, trying to help take care of you. When you and I were sitting off to the side eating, I had completely forgotten she was even coming, my father had to make me go outside and wait for her. And then when you left with Mr. Kim, I had her all to myself and all I could do watch you to make sure you were okay. Ever since I met you, all I think about is how you’re doing, where you are, if you need anything. I’m constantly wondering whether or not you’re okay, how could I stay with Alyssa when you’re the only person –”

“Stop!” Shin-Ae shouted, taking them both by surprise, but she couldn’t bring herself to lower her voice, “Just stop! I can’t believe that you’re doing this! You hide something this huge from all of us for months and then you only tell me because you walk in on me kissing someone else! What the hell am I supposed to do, Yeong-Gi? Just melt into your arms and –”

Yeong-Gi pressed his lips to hers again, as if he was trying to silence her rage with his passion. However, this time he couldn’t cloud her thoughts, her mind was sharp and alert, focused with anger and indignation at his behavior. She shut her eyes hard, trying to stop the anxiety that she could feel creeping up in her from overwhelming her, and shoved at his chest. He moved away suddenly, much too quickly for it to be his own movement, but she knew that she didn’t have the strength to push him like that. Shin-Ae opened her eyes to see Yeong-Gi standing at the other end of the room, hurt and anger playing across his features, and Kousuke standing directly in front of her. 

She breathed a sigh of relief and immediately moved closer to Kousuke, he could immediately see her anxiety and anger on her face and he reacted quickly. He took her gently by the elbow and quickly guided her out of the room as past Yeong-Gi without a word. Kousuke led her to his office as quickly as he could. He closed the door behind them and turned the lock so that he didn’t need to worry about them being interrupted. He turned around to find Shin-Ae immediately in front of him, he pulled her close to him by her forearms. He then wrapped his arms around her, he had no idea what was going through her head but he could tell that she needed comfort in that moment. He briefly wondered if it was truly him that she needed, but as her shoulders quivered with tears against him he realized that he didn’t care if it was truly him that she wanted or not, he would savor every moment that Shin-Ae gave to him and he would give her every ounce of love and support that he could manage. 

“Are you alright?” He spoke softly against the top her head, his lips brushing her hairline. He didn’t want to pull away from her but he needed to see her face, he gently took a small step back and tilted her chin upwards so that their gazes met. Her eyes were brimming with tears that had not yet fallen and he could see her struggling to maintain her composure. “Shin-Ae, I need you to answer me, are you alright?” She shook her head slowly as she took a deep, shaky breath. “I saw him kiss you, I saw that he didn’t move when you pushed him, I saw all of that Shin-Ae but I need to know if there was more.”

He waited patiently, giving her as much time as she needed to gather her thoughts. She slowly shook her head, “No, he – he didn’t do anything to me. He just…” She closed her eyes and let her voice trail off as Kousuke tenderly stroked her hair and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. He gently stepped to her side and guided her to the couch at the far wall of his office, he sat her down and knelt in front of her, stroking her cheek lightly with the back of his fingers. She turned her head slightly, pressing her cheek to his hand and closed her eyes for a moment. “He made me so angry and then he kissed me again but wouldn’t stop, and I just…” she shook her head slightly, “I freaked out. I don’t like when people don’t listen to me.”

“You were angry because he kissed you?” Kousuke asked gently, not wanting to pry but needing to ascertain if any action needed to be taken. 

“Yes, but not only that. He told me that he broke up with Alyssa the night we were all at the party. You and I were in that hospital room and he was outside breaking up with her and never bothered to tell anyone.” She forced herself to take a very deep breath and finally looked Kousuke in the eyes, “He was jealous, Kousuke, he saw you and I and got jealous…”

“I am very sorry, Shin-Ae, that wasn’t even remotely excusable of him. I’ll talk to my father and see what I can do –”

“You mean get him fired?” Kousuke nodded, “No, don’t fire him. It isn’t worth causing trouble in your family like that, I’m okay.” 

He could feel her trembling slightly, probably her body trying to burn off some of the anxiety pent up inside of her, and he sighed. “You’re not okay, but if you don’t want me to tell my father, I wont.” He cupped her chin gently and brought his lips to hers, pressing a kiss to her lips with a featherlight touch that brought a soft sigh to her lips. 

She could feel herself calming at his touch, her mind slowing down as he kissed her. Shin-Ae leaned in to his lips, welcoming the calming stillness that washed over her. When she had first met Kousuke she found it difficult to be around him, she felt tense and anxious despite the fact that he had never done anything outright cruel or rude to her (of course, he had his moments where he was extremely blunt and insensitive, but given his family’s behavior that wasn’t surprising to Shin-Ae). But as they had come to know one another better she felt increasingly comfortable in his presence, and after they had spent the afternoon acting on their inner desires, she felt more than simple comfort with him. He had a quieting effect on her, his gaze could still all of her thoughts and clear her head in an instant, his touch – even a simple brush of his fingers – settled her nerves, and she found herself lost in the attentiveness and care he gave her. Kousuke moved his hand to grasp the back of her neck gently and pressed against her with his kiss, forcing her to move further back onto the couch until her back was pressed against the cushions. Her hands wandered up his arms and over his shoulders, finding their way to her favorite place in his hair. She could barely hear Kousuke’s slight moan against her lips as her nails lightly raked across the nape of his neck and up into his hair. Shin-Ae’s lips twitched in a small smile as he reacted to her touch, it made her feel powerful and in control despite the fact that he was the dominant one between the two of them. 

Kousuke pulled away from the kiss but remained close enough that his lips brushed hers as he spoke, “I won’t tell anyone, but you’ll have to thank me properly…” He clasped his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her head back gently, “You’ll have to show me how badly you want me to keep it a secret for you.”

Shin-Ae sucked in a short gasp of air at the pleasurable bite of pain as he pulled her hair and she let him tilt her head back so that he could easily bring his lips to her neck. He flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin at her collarbone and Shin-Ae sighed a heavy, contented sigh that was filled with unmistakable pleasure. She allowed herself to become lost in his touch, in every jolt of pleasure as his tongue flicked across her skin. Her thoughts of Yeong-Gi and Alyssa faded as Kousuke filled every inch of her mind, he was deliberately trying to distract her, trying to occupy all of her so that she had no room for anything but her attraction and her feelings for him. “Kousuke…” His name slipped off her lips without her realizing it, she was so lost in the moment that she didn’t even hear herself. But Kousuke heard her, and his dick twitched and hardened at the sound of his name on her lips. His name on her lips was like dripping honey, slow and sweet. He wanted to do everything he could to make her say it over and over. 

He looked down at her and gathered his thoughts before realizing that he should take a different approach to her in this moment; after what had happened with his brother, Shin-Ae didn’t need to be dominated, she needed to feel his desire, she needed to feel wanted, but she didn’t need to feel as though she had no control. He could easily see that her lack of control in that kitchen, her inability to stop the situation from progressing beyond her comfort level was a major part of why she had been so upset when he had gotten her back to his office. He removed his hand from her hair and wrapped it around her waist, lifting her off the couch and against his body as he moved to sit on the couch, holding her against him so that she was in his lap. She looked down at him, surprised by his sudden change of position but didn’t question him. He slowly started undoing the buttons on her shirt, letting the tips of his fingers brush against her skin lightly in a slow tease that quickened her breathing. She leaned down and brought her lips back to his, demanding his kiss as desire rose slowly within her. He slowly opened her shirt and pulled it from the waist of her pants, making sure that his finger tips brushed her skin at every moment so that she could feel every move he made. 

Growing impatient, Shin-Ae pulled her shirt off and immediately moved her fingers to quickly open Kousuke’s shirt. She pulled the white fabric down over his shoulders and splayed his fingers over the tops of his arms as she took his mouth in her own, he could feel the rush of emotions in her kiss, the desperation for comfort and reassurance was so clear that he almost wanted to stop and simply hold her in an attempt to soothe her flood of emotions. But, in this moment, Kousuke knew that giving her complete control was going to be the best way to ease her mind and bring her back from the edge that he had found her on. He shrugged his shirt off and let her yank his undershirt off as well before her hands flew to his belt. His dick grew harder underneath her and Shin-Ae was encouraged by the feel of him pressing against her through their pants. 

She was desperate to remove the barriers between them. She had no idea why she was so determined and eager to fuck him but it was the only thing that she could think of and, if he wasn’t going to stop her, she planned on taking what her instincts told her she needed. “Kousuke…” Her voice was no longer shaking, there was a renewed confidence stemming from her desire, she looked down at him as she reached her hand into his pants to trace the length of him beneath his zipper. 

He sucked in a breath as she touched him and looked up to meet her gaze, “Tell me what you need, little flower.”

“Fuck me, please.” Although she said please, it wasn’t a question – it was a demand. He quickly braced her with an arm around her waist and flipped her over onto her back, laying across the length of the couch. He quickly removed her pants and then removed his own, leaving them both with only a simple layer of fabric to cover their arousal. He dropped his briefs and then knelt over Shin-Ae, he hooked his fingers into her panties and slowly pulled them down her legs. Her eyes remained on his as he stripped her last bit of clothing from her body, leaving her completely exposed to him. He slowly moved his hand up her inner thigh with a featherlight touch that made her shiver, “Do you want me to –”

“Just fuck me, now.” Kousuke wasn’t accustomed to following the commands of anyone, but in this moment he wanted to be the slave to her arousal and he knew he would give her anything she wanted. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her lips, forcing his body into the position that she wanted him in. He lowered his body to hers, relishing the way her soft body seemed to mold against him. Her legs wrapped around him as he pressed at her entrance, slowly sheathing himself inside of her. 

A moan of pleasure slipped from her lips as he filled her. She lifted her hips to take in every inch of him and he began to slowly move inside of her. He buried his face in her neck, taking in the smell of honey and lilies in her hair, he bit the soft skin of her neck lightly as he moved slowly in and out of her. Shin-Ae was so overcome with pleasure that she couldn’t stop the moans and whimpers as he touched the innermost bud of pleasure deep inside of her. This was a completely different sensation from being bent over the couch, she knew that she was in control here, that he was catering to her needs and her desires. But, while she enjoyed his attention, she loved the way he was worshipping her body with his own, she just wanted to feel him fuck her. Hard. “Kousuke, harder, please…” 

He moaned against her neck as he pumped faster and harder, he knew he wouldn’t last long like this but he had no intention of denying her anything she wished in this moment. He reached down and gripped her thigh as he moved quickly in and out of her, he could feel his dick touching her soft pleasure center and he knew, based on the sounds she made and the feel of her body, that he was bringing her closer and closer to a climax. He could feel her muscles tighten and tense underneath him, her legs wrapping tighter around him until he struggled to pull out of her as he fucked her, her moans growing louder and more high pitched. He covered her mouth lightly with his hand to muffle the sound, but he doubted it would do anything to stop any passerby from knowing exactly what they were doing. 

Shin-Ae’s body tightened around him as she reached the edge of her climax, she dug her nails into his back, dragging her fingers slowly up the tense muscles in an effort to intensify the sensations. He sucked a breath in through his teeth as her nails broke the skin, and he moved in an out of her sweet center with renewed vigor. Her body was tightening around him, impossibly tense as he pushed her further and further over the edge and into her climax. 

She came hard, her body convulsing under his weight, unable to stop the sharp cry against his hand. He pumped harder, faster, bringing himself over the cliff of pleasure right behind her. His orgasm came suddenly, making his dick twitch inside her hard enough that Shin-Ae could feel it inside of her. His weight collapsed on top of hers, their bodies tangled in a quivering mess of sweaty limbs and their panting bodies. He moved his hand from her mouth to her hair, stroking her gently as they came back to earth. She turned and pressed her lips to his cheek, unable to summon the strength for anything else. Shin-Ae struggled to breath, but she didn’t want to move from under the weight of his body, she traced her fingers lightly up and down the lines of his back in a silent show of affection as he caught his breath. 

Neither of them knew how long they had laid there, naked on his office couch, before Kousuke finally pulled himself out of her and sat up at the end of the couch. “I’m sure plenty of people heard us just now. I don’t think there’s any way to stop the office rumors now.”

She gave him a small smile, “I don’t think that I care.” She sat up and started pulling on her clothes, handing him his as she sorted through the pile they had left on the floor. “I’m sorry about your back, by the way.”

He looked up at her quizzically, “My back?”

She gave him a mischievous smile as she buttoned her blouse and tucked it in, “Yes, your back.” She turned and walked out of his office, her lips still turned in a small smile, leaving him to wonder how bad it was going to look when he finally got to a mirror. 

Shin-Ae slipped out of his office and looked up and down the hall, thankful that no one was hovering nearby. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that no one had heard anything, but she hoped that if no one saw her leave his office it wouldn’t immediately be clear that it had been her moaning on his couch. She heard Jayce clear his throat and looked up to see him sitting at her desk across from Kousuke’s door, bent over a stack of files. “Jayce…I just –”

“I kept the hall clear, I don’t think anyone heard.”

“Thank you.” She looked down at the floor for a moment, somewhat embarrassed, “And you…”

He looked up and smiled at her, “There won’t be a word from me, discretion has always been a very important requirement for working with Kousuke. And besides,” He stood up and gathered the files he had been working on to head back to his workspace with Yeong-Gi and Sang-Chul, “Kousuke could use someone around that makes him happy, that pushes him to be more spontaneous and enjoy himself more. I’m happy to see him worrying about something – or someone – other than his family and the Hirahara reputation.”

Shin-Ae nodded, “Thank you, Jayce.” He nodded and walked away quietly, whistling as he disappeared down the hallway. Shin-Ae quickly went into the restroom near her desk to fix her makeup and hair, and to clean herself up as best she could. She looked in the mirror and studied her face, looking for any smeared makeup under her eyes, and instantly saw the mark he had left on her neck. It was faint, certainly not a full blown hickey, but it was unmistakable once it was noticed. She tried to adjust her shirt and her hair to cover the mark but she knew that if anyone looked twice it was easily noticeable. She sighed and cleaned herself up quickly; it was a unisex bathroom that only she and Kousuke used and she was sure that he would be waiting to tidy himself up as well as there was no way he was going to use the larger restroom that the rest of the office used at the other end of the floor. Just as she thought, she opened the bathroom door to see him leaning against the doorframe to his office, waiting for her to emerge. 

He reached out and brushed her hand with his own as he passed her, holding on for a moment until their reaches slipped away from one another as they walked in opposite directions. Shin-Ae sat at her desk as he closed the bathroom door and immediately started taking his shirt off. As the adrenaline and arousal wore off, he could feel the unmistakable sting of scratches on his back and he was curious to see how much damage she had done while lost in her passion. He turned to the mirror and stared in shock at the broken, bloody skin on his back. He was covered in scratches, some just red marks lingering on the skin, but some were deep and still oozing blood. He cleaned himself up quickly, washing her lingering scent of arousal from himself. He knew that he would need help cleaning his back, there was no way to reach most of the scratches that needed to be cleaned and he didn’t want blood to stain his shirt. He decided to leave it off for the short walk back to his office. 

He opened the bathroom door and cleared his throat, “Miss Yoo, could you assist me please?” She looked up at him and stood, a knowing smile played on her lips as she pulled the first aid kit out of her desk and followed him to his office. Shin-Ae couldn’t keep her eyes off the sinewy lines of Kousuke’s back – he wasn’t what she would call buff, but he had a lean, muscular shape that he clearly took care of with some kind of consistent work out. She smiled at him innocently as he held the door open for her and she sat back down on the couch, desperately forcing herself to pretend that she wasn’t replaying the wanton love making that had taken place on that couch in her head. He closed the door and sat down beside her, “Do I need to tell you what I need from you?”

She couldn’t help but giggle, a small sound that filled Kousuke with the urge to kiss her again. “No, you don’t have to ask. Turn around, I’ll clean and bandage the scratches that are open wounds.” He turned away from her, trusting her to carefully clean and bandage each one without his constant supervision. He found that it was easy to let go with her, his urge to control every aspect of what was going on almost fading completely in her hands. 

They sat in silence for a moment as he enjoyed the gentle touch of her hands on his back as she cared for the wounds she had inflicted, but Kousuke knew he had to discuss what had happened with her. He needed to make sure she was actually okay – distracting her with sex was fun and easy, and he was happy to provide her with physical attention when she needed it, but he had no intention of ignoring her emotional needs. “Are you going to talk to me about what happened?” 

“You saw what happened.”

“I’m not asking you to tell me about what Nol did, Shin-Ae. I’m asking about you.”

“I didn’t do anything, I froze up, I didn’t know what to do.”

“Again, that isn’t what I’m asking. I know what an anxiety attack looks like, I know that you were extremely close to having one. I’m asking why – was it completely because of Nol or is there more to it?”

She sighed and continued to dab at his back with a cotton swab covered in antibacterial cream. “I was bullied a lot as a kid. Usually it was harmless teasing, but a few times it got physical – I lost control of the situation and I ended up being hurt, sometimes it was just cuts and bruises but a few times it was…bad.” 

“I see, so when you couldn’t push Nol away from you –”

“I felt like I was losing control again. I’ve never thought that Yeong-Gi would hurt me, but not being able to stop him from touching me – even if he didn’t mean it in a harmful way – freaked me out. I tried pushing him away but he’s like brick wall and I’m just not strong enough to really shove him away from me.” Shin-Ae started applying the bandages to the nail marks in his skin that were open enough to need to be covered, she was careful to make sure that there was no way any blood would get on the back of his shirt as she was sure he wouldn’t want to explain it if anyone in the office noticed. They were silent for a moment, until she quietly spoke, “I would have been okay, Kousuke.”

“Nol shouldn’t have touched you. And he certainly shouldn’t have continued what he was doing after it became extremely obvious that you were upset. I heard you yelling at him from down the hall, I can’t imagine why he decided that was the moment he wanted to try something like that. And I hope that this doesn’t get back to Alyssa, or our father. It would ruin his relationship.”

Shin-Ae finished applying the last bandage and began wiping the excess antibacterial cream from his back so that he could put his shirt back on. “They broke up.”

Kousuke turned to look at her as she started putting the first aid kit back together so that she could put it away in her desk. “What?”

She nodded without looking up, “The night of the party, while you and I were in the hospital room, he called her to the hospital and broke up with her outside before we all left.” She set the first aid kit on the coffee table in front of them and looked up at him, “He told me after I started yelling at him for cheating on her.”

“Why would he break up with Alyssa? They seemed fine at the party.”

She sighed again and put her head in her hands, elbows resting on her thighs. “He said it was because he spent that entire night thinking about me rather than her, and he realized that he wasn’t happy with their relationship. He said he realized he had developed feelings for me.”

“Is this the first time he’s mentioned any of this to you?”

She still didn’t look up at him, “Yes, I had no idea about any of it.”

Kousuke lifted her chin so that he could see her face, “Shin-Ae, look at me.” She lifted her gaze to his, he could see the worry and hurt in her eyes and he suddenly found himself enraged all over again at his brother. He couldn’t help but wonder how Nol could be so incredibly selfish as to put this on her shoulders, and – even worse – to force his affection on her in an attempt to confess his feelings. He spoke quietly but firmly, “None of this is your fault. Do you understand that?” She stared into his eyes, he could see so clearly that she felt guilty and he felt a deep seated need to ease that feeling in her. “It is not your fault that he chose to break up with Alyssa and it is certainly not your fault that he kissed you today. And I am going to make sure that it doesn’t happen again, unless you want it to.” She nodded slightly, still staring at him with her beautiful brown eyes. “I promise, as long as I am around, no one is going to take away your ability to control your own situation, not even me. Do you understand?”

“Yes…” He stared into her eyes for a moment and then pulled her into his arms. Shin-Ae hadn’t even realized how much she was craving his embrace until she was wrapped in his arms. She took a deep breath against his chest, savoring the faint scent of almonds on the bare skin of his chest. He held her close for a moment, memorizing the faint feel of her heart beat against him, and then he let her go and began to put his shirt back on. “Unfortunately we have work to do, little flower. Go take care of what you can, we’ll go to lunch as soon as I make a few phone calls. This morning has been difficult enough, we should try to get back to having a normal day.”


	5. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kousuke takes Shin-Ae to lunch...

Kousuke watched Shin-Ae leave his office, waiting until the door was closed behind her, and then pulled out his phone to text Jayce.

‘I need Nol to come to my office as soon as you can spare him.’

He didn’t have to wait long for an answer as Jayce had always been very efficient and quick to respond.

‘I’ll send him over, he’s not busy. Need anything from me?’

‘No, thank you.’

Kousuke slipped his phone back in his pocket and turned his attention to his emails on his computer. Luckily, he didn’t have anything pressing on his schedule today, allowing him to deal with this personal issue without it interfering with business. It would be much easier to keep from his father with no meetings or calls to rearrange.

He looked up as Shin-Ae opened his office door with Nol close behind her, “You wanted to see your brother?”

Kousuke nodded and beckoned Nol inside, “Thank you, Shin-Ae, close the door behind you please.” She looked at him uncertainly for a moment, she obviously knew what he intended to discuss with his brother, but she simply nodded and left them alone. Nol walked over to his desk and simply stood there silently, waiting for Kousuke to say something to him. “Do I need to tell you why you’re here?”

He glared at Kousuke, “It’s none of your business Kousuke –”

“Dammit, Nol, it absolutely is my business. You did this at work, for one thing. Do you know what Father is going to do if he finds out what happened?”

“Is that what you care about? Your issue what our father is going to say about it?”

He held a hand up to silence him and spoke quietly and deliberately, “I am not finished. This is not the time to fly off the handle and get upset about family expectations – regardless of your feelings about how we handle things.” He paused for a moment, trying to collect himself as the anger boiled inside of him. “You are very lucky that Miss Yoo asked me to make sure that Father does not find out all the details of what happened between the two of you –”

“You mean that I kissed her?”

Kousuke stared at him for a moment, slowly losing the fight in himself to control himself. “Yes. I can’t keep Father from hearing about the two of you arguing, I have no idea how many people on this floor heard the two of you, but I do know only the three of us were in that room and so I have some control over those details.” 

“I really don’t care what Father –”

“Miss Yoo cares, so for her sake, keep your mouth shut about it and leave it alone.” Nol stared at him but remained silent, so Kousuke continued. “More importantly, I want you to stay away from her.”

Nol shook his head, “You are not her boss outside of work, you can’t decide who she hangs out with –”

“I’m not her boss, but I am the one she came to today. I am the one who has been taking care of her for months, and I know that you are aware that she and are not merely acquaintances. So I am telling you to stay away from her.” Nol turned on his heel and started to leave the office, at which point Kousuke’s anger finally bubbled over. He slammed his fist on his desk and shouted across the office, “You have no idea the damage you could have caused today!” 

Nol turned around and looked at Kousuke, “She is not helpless, she can tell me herself if she –”

“You went too far, Nol. You stripped her of any control she had in that situation, you made her feel as if she wasn’t safe with you in that room. Until she is ready, until she comes to talk to you on her own, just stay away from her.”

Nol stood there for a moment, silently taking in what Kousuke had just said. It was obvious by the look on his face that he hadn’t realized how Shin-Ae had felt, he had simply thought she was angry, he didn’t realize that he had caused much deeper feelings that could have been detrimental to their friendship. “Fine,” he finally said, “Tell her I want to talk to her whenever she’s ready.” He turned and left the room, gaze down on the floor as he passed Shin-Ae sitting at her desk. 

Kousuke sighed as Shin-Ae appeared in the doorway and timidly asked, “Are you okay?”

He looked up at her and gave her a small, reassuring smile, “Yes, just slightly frustrated.” He looked at his watch and then back to her, “Let me make a few quick phone calls and I’ll take you to lunch. It’s past noon.”

She shook her head slightly, “I’ve taken up enough of your time today, if you’re busy I can just get something next door.”

He shook his head and sat down at his desk, his gaze returning to his emails, “Nonsense, I’m starving and I’d like you to join me.” He was quiet for a moment and then he looked at her, his bright blue eyes filled with concern that took her by surprise. “I know all of this is difficult for you, little flower, so take it as slowly as you need to. Don’t worry about talking to Nol until you’re completely ready to do so, I’ve told him not to pressure you to discuss what happened. And keep in mind,” he paused as he watched her expression, “You are in complete control between the two of us, you aren’t obligated to go to lunch with me, to go back to my apartment, to be physical with me. I’ll respect anything you choose.”

She nodded and watched him for a moment, worried that he was far more upset than he was letting on, but he returned his focus to his emails and began typing responses and so she finally left the office, quietly closing the door behind her. She couldn’t help but notice the change in the way that he behaved toward her; when they first met, he would have simply told his brother to stay away from her and never mentioned it to her, he would have simply decided it was for her own good and not cared to explain anything. But now, he seemed to care more about her feelings, her thoughts, and especially her comfort than he had ever shown. It was as if she had unlocked a door to a hidden part of Kousuke that no one had seen before, and it reassured her that all those moments where she could see a small hint of affection or feel the tiniest twinge of concern in him were’t simply her fooling herself into thinking that he had developing feelings for her. Shin-Ae shook her head slightly, forcing the thoughts from her mind as she went back to her desk to try and focus on her work until Kousuke was ready to go to lunch. She found herself wired with excited anticipation, unable to think of anything but her desire to spend more time with him. 

Almost two hours passed before Kousuke finally emerged from his office, he looked over at Shin-Ae, completely absorbed in transcribing a document, listening to his dictation with headphones in her ears. She didn’t notice him walk behind her desk to stand over her shoulder, after a moment he lightly ran his fingertips up the side of her neck and brushed her hair over her shoulder. Shin-Ae jumped slightly but quickly relaxed into his touch, she tilted her head back to look up at him with a comfortable smile. He lightly tugged one of the buds out of her ear, “Are you ready to go to lunch, or would you prefer to stay here and finish transcribing my dictation?”

Her smile turned mischievous and she answered quietly, “Dictation isn’t quite the dick I’ve been thinking of.” He raised his eyebrows at her, surprised and amused at her bold comment. She giggled softly and started putting away her ear buds, “Of course I’m ready for lunch, I’m starving.” She tidied her desk quickly and stood, “But real food this time, not some tiny steak that won’t even get through the afternoon.”

“Are you insulting my taste in food?”

She turned around as he held his coat for her to slip on, “No, only your idea of appropriate portions.” She smiled at him as he shrugged on his own coat and gestured for her to leave ahead of him. The small smirk that was barely visible on his lips assured her that it wasn’t all in her imagination, he was actually starting to loosen up and joke with her. But there was a small part of her that couldn’t stop wondering if he was on the same page as she was; she had no idea if this was just a physical relationship for him or if he was beginning to develop deeper feelings. And if it was more than physical, what exactly was he feeling and how deep did those feelings go. Shin-Ae pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind; she could wonder until she made herself crazy later, right now she just wanted to relax and distract herself from what happened with Yeong-Gi. 

Kousuke couldn’t help but keep glancing at Shin-Ae out of the corner of his eye, he didn’t doubt that she had a million thoughts running through her mind even if she wouldn’t share them with him. He let the elevator doors close before asking her, “Are you okay?” Shin-Ae nodded but didn’t speak and refused to make eye contact. Kousuke looked at the floor counter slowly ticking off each level as they descended, he reached over and hit the full stop button to pause their descent. When he felt the elevator stop and saw the counter start flashing he turned to her and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. A tear slipped down her cheek as she stared into his blue eyes, he gently wiped it away and pulled her into his arms. He felt her tremble and didn’t need to look down at her to know that she was crying against his chest. He sighed and gently stroked her hair, “What happened today was unacceptable, and you have every reason to be upset. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there sooner to put a stop to it, but I promise you I’ll do everything in my power to keep anything like this from happening again.” 

Shin-Ae looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks and shook her head, “You have nothing to feel sorry for, Kousuke. I don’t need you to protect me.” Her words were defiant but her voice was hollow, he could hear it in her voice that she didn’t fully believe herself. 

He looked down at her with an intensity that gave her goosebumps, tenderly caressing her face as he wiped the tears that flowed freely. “You may not need me to protect you, but I’m going to. And I’ll be sorry when I’m unable to, regardless of if you feel I should.” His touch was soft and gentle, his hands tender as they traced her face, but his voice was firm and determined. While Shin-Ae may not have been sure of his feelings towards her, she was completely sure of the conviction of his words. 

He stared at her, unsure of what else he could say to make her understand the severity of his determination to keep her as safe as he possibly could. Her bright brown eyes glistened with the traces of tears as she searched his gaze from any hint of deception. Neither of them realized she had been holding her breath until she released a heavy sigh and flung her arms around his neck. Kousuke stiffened at the unexpected display of warmth and affection, he had been intimate with his share of women but he had never had a woman show him such a genuine and heartfelt display. She nestled her lips into his neck and softly kissed the tender place where his pulse could be felt at his jawline before pressing her lips to his. Kousuke seemed to instantly fall into her kiss, he wrapped his arms around her waist and quickly pressed her back to the elevator wall. Shin-Ae pressed her body closer to his as she opened her mouth to his, she raked a hand through his hair and a quiet moan escaped their kiss as she felt his body molding to hers. 

Kousuke allowed the kiss to linger for a moment before pulling his lips from hers. She rested her head against the elevator wall and closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts. “Thank you,” she whispered, still inches from him. She dropped her hands to his chest, releasing him from her embrace and opened her eyes with a small smile. “I just…Thank you, Kousuke.”

He placed his hand on her chest, fingertips on her throat in a clear attempt to get her attention and keep it for a moment. “Shin-Ae, you know by now that I am not a man who makes empty promises. And you know that I am not a man who acts on impulse. When I tell you that I will not allow you to get hurt again while under my care,” he reached over and hit the elevator stop button so that they started moving towards the lobby again before looking back at her, “I mean you will not get hurt again.” He leaned down and took her lips in one last, long kiss before stepping away from her as the elevator reached the first floor. He gently took Shin-Ae by the hand and lead her out of the elevator with a small smile. He pulled her close to his side as he led her gently through the lobby, not caring who saw them or what whispers trailed behind them. He was entirely focused on her in that moment, determined to make her forget everything that had happened that morning. 

Jayce had already called down to the valet to have the car pulled around and waiting at the front door. Kousuke held the door open for Shin-Ae, tucking her safely into the passenger seat before climbing into the drivers side and starting the engine. “Where are we going?” Shin-Ae spoke quietly, content just being beside him where there weren’t prying eyes and tension bubbling just below the surface. 

He shrugged and looked over at her, “What are you in the mood for, little flower?”

She grinned at him and shook her head, “I don’t think you’d have any interest in what I’m thinking sounds fun right now.” He stared at her expectantly, clearly intending to wait until she told him what was on her mind. “Okay,” she shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small smile, “I was thinking the arcade sounds fun. But I know that’s not your thing so we can go anywhere you’d like.” 

“The point of taking you out to lunch is to get your mind off of what happened and to relax, so if you’d like to go have some fun at the arcade that’s what we’ll do.” He gave her a reassuring smile and started driving before she could respond. 

They drove in silence, Shin-Ae couldn’t stop the thoughts swirling in her head. His willingness to accommodate her littlest whims since yesterday had taken her completely by surprise, leaving her slightly off balance and wondering about his motivations. She had known for some time that he had developed a physical attraction to her, and she believed that there were some romantic feelings but she was unable to decipher exactly how deep those feelings went. She glanced over at him, admiring his profile, taking a moment to consider the constant intensity of his gaze – regardless of what he was looking at. His bright blue eyes never failed to catch her attention, it was always as if she was seeing them for the first time. Her eyes lifted to his hair, the tousled brunette locks falling perfectly over his brow in a way that made her want to run her fingers through them until his hair was a tangled mess. She bit her lip and forced herself to look back out the window, her mind was so clouded by her growing attraction to him that she could hardly focus when she looked at him. But it wasn’t just a physical attraction to him. Of course, she found her physical feelings to be the most powerful, but she couldn’t deny that she had real feelings for him as well, and they were growing stronger with each kind gesture he showed her. 

She let out a deep sigh as her thoughts continued to wander through her feelings. Kousuke reached over and placed his hand on her thigh, giving her a gentle squeeze. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t even look away from the road. But the simple gesture was enough to remind her that he was still paying attention to her. She rested her head against the window as a contented smile crept over her lips. She pushed her thoughts aside and decided to simply enjoy the lunch date with Kousuke, over the last few months – etiquette classes, random business lessons with him, meetings and work functions – he had shown her so much of his world. This, she realized, would be the first time that he took a step into her world. 

He parked the car and walked around to let her out, taking her by the hand as he led her into the arcade. They looked around, Kousuke evaluating the people, Shin-Ae trying to decide what she wanted to play. 

She looked up at him, clearly looking forward to seeing him loosen up a bit, perhaps even make a bit of a fool of himself. “Are you hungry? They have food here; pizza, I think wings and burgers, noodles?” 

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, “I suppose a pizza is suitable. I wouldn’t risk eating anything else from an establishment like this.” She gave him a sideways glance, amused at his pretentious eating habits, and walked to the food counter to order a pizza for them to share. They ate quietly, uncertainty still fogging Shin-Ae’s mind. Kousuke studied her face as they ate, and when he finished he folded his hands on the table before sighing quietly, “You’re very quiet. What are you thinking about?” 

Shin-Ae looked up at him for a moment, his bright blue eyes erasing every thought she had. She forced her brain into focus, willing her brain to stop short circuiting whenever he looked at her. She shrugged at him, “I was just thinking about how quickly things change.” He never needed to prompt her for more, his patient silence always made her feel comfortable enough to continue without any urging on his part. “You realize that two days ago you were pretending to brush my hand on accident, six months ago you were forced into giving me a change of position that neither of us wanted. And up until I graduated you and I could hardly be around one another other than a few pleasant moments. You didn’t even like me for the first year you knew me.” 

He furrowed his brow at her, “I have always been fond of you, Shin-Ae. Did you actually think that I didn’t like you?”

“Well, yeah.” She looked down at her plate, her second piece of pizza sitting half eaten. “I mean we hardly got along, and even the good moments seemed as if they were an obligation on your part. Like the night at the party that you asked me to dance, you only did it because I made you feel bad for being embarrassed of me.”

“Have you ever seen me go out of my way for Meg?” Shin-Ae shook her head silently, “I’m intensely ashamed of her and her behavior, I don’t go asking her to dance at parties to make her feel better. I asked you to dance because I wanted to make it clear to every person in that room that you are special to me, even back then. You have never just been another woman in the crowd. And I apologize for not making that clear to you much sooner.” 

Shin-Ae pulled in a deep breath, trying to force her heartbeat to slow down and her nerve endings to stop tingling at the pleasure she took in his words. After a moment she stood and smiled at him, “Can we have a little fun before we have to go back to work?”

His lips twitched in a small smile at her enthusiasm, an arcade wasn’t his idea of fun but he was happy to see her smiling, to see the lines of worry fading from her expression. He followed her from game to game, watching her play as he stood nearby, always declining to play himself. It was enough for him simply to see her enjoying herself, to see her smiling and having fun without any hint of the million other things he knew would be on her mind. He could tell from her comments that she had questions about his feelings. He wasn’t sure if she doubted the sincerity of them or if she was doubting the strength of them, but he was sure that he needed to find a way to show her before his chance slipped away. 

“Kousuke?” His thoughts snapped back to her and he realized she was staring at him. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention for a moment. What did you say?” 

She shook her head and smiled, “I was asking if you thought it was time to head back?” 

Kousuke glanced down at his watch and nodded, “I suppose that would be wise. I’ve got a bit to catch up on after this morning.” She nodded and started walking back to the table where they had left their coats, but stopped in front of a claw machine. He looked at her quizzically and then looked into the machine, she was staring at a little stuffed rabbit holding a flower. “Go ahead,” he said, “a few minutes won’t hurt anything.” He watched, amused, as Shin-Ae attempted over and over to get the rabbit with the claw machine, each time she failed she let out a groan of frustration, once even going so far as to smack the machine controls. He laughed at her and touched her shoulder, “I can just buy you the toy, little flower, I’m sure I could order it online and have it delivered in a few hours.”

Shin-Ae looked at him and rolled her eyes, “It doesn’t mean anything if you just buy it. It’s special because you put the work into winning it yourself, it means more if you can look at it and feel satisfied with your efforts.” 

He stared at her for a moment, silently considering what she had just said. It had never occurred to him that a gift would mean any less simply because he ordered it rather than winning it. “You want it that badly?” 

She looked back at the toy and shrugged, “It’s holding a little flower, I just thought…” She shook her head and sighed, “Come on, we should head back. I know you’ve got a busy day and you can’t put off any more of your work for me.” She started to walk away but realized he wasn’t behind her, she turned around to see him dropping coins into the claw machine. “Kousuke, it’s okay, I don’t need it –” He didn’t even look up at her, he simply waved a hand at her to silence her. She watched with a small smile as he tried and failed to pick up the little toy that she had been staring at so longingly. She watched him fail, over and over again the little toy slipped through the claws metal fingers and fell back to the pile in the machine, his frustration increasing with each failed attempt. 

After about forty-five minutes of trying to retrieve the little stuffed animal, Shin-Ae gently touched her hand to his cheek so that he would look at her. “It’s just a toy, you really don’t have to do this. Those things are rigged to fail anyway, it’s about lucky timing rather than skill.” She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, we should go. At this rate we’ll be here all day.”

He smiled at her but gently pulled her hand from his cheek, “Then I suppose we’ll be here all day. I told you I’d get that toy for you, I’m going to.” She blinked in surprise but before she could respond he had already turned back to the game and inserted more bills into the machine. His forehead was creased in such a deep frown of determination and frustration that she feared his face would never fully recover, but she could tell that he wasn’t going to give up no matter how much she tried to reason with him. A part of her regretted saying anything, but the bigger part of her was touched at his determination to win her the toy rather than simply taking the easy way and buying her a similar one. She leaned against the side of the machine, content to watch him try to win the game. Despite his frustration, she could tell that a part of him was enjoying the challenge. When he thought that the claw finally had a good grip his lips would curl upwards, and when the toy fell his brow would furrow and he would furiously tap his fingers on the controls until the game reset and he could try again. 

Shin-Ae lost track of how many times he had tried to win that silly little toy. She wasn’t paying attention to the claw anymore, instead she found herself staring at Kousuke dreamily. It had never been lost on her how attractive he was, but seeing him actually enjoying himself seemed to brighten his features and make him significantly more attractive than he was just a few days before. Every time he smiled, no matter how small, she felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him with the same passion that she had felt with every intimate moment they had shared so far. Every kiss, every touch of his fingers to her skin seemed to be burned into her memory. It was so vivid that she could almost feel the warmth of his hands on her long after it had gone. 

She was so lost in thought that she jumped when he suddenly shouted with surprise and pride, she looked over to see him pulling the toy that he had spent so long fighting to retrieve out of the machines door. He stared at it for a moment, smiling in a way that she hadn’t seen him smile before, and then he stepped close to her. He closed the distance between them so that he was centimeters from touching her and held the little bunny up for her to see. “So, since I won this for you, since I worked for it, you’re going to keep it forever. Right?” 

She smiled at him and nodded, “Yes, but that isn’t all I want.” She gently took the toy out of his hand and held it to her chest as she looked up at him. After a moment of gazing deeply into his eyes she slowly pressed her lips to his, standing on tip toes to reach him. For a moment he let her have control over the kiss, allowing her to decide how softly she wanted her lips to touch his, following the pace that she set. As she pressed her body against his, he wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her close to him by her hips and savoring the feeling of her. He didn’t even stop to think about who could be watching them, what his parents would hear, or how their behavior could affect his reputation. He simply wanted to be in this moment with Shin-Ae in this moment, to hold her against him as she clutched the little toy that he had spent so long trying to win for her. 

After a kiss that seemed entirely too short and too full of longing, Shin-Ae pulled her lips from his and took an unsteady breath. She forced her eyes open, her lids heavy with the desire that she couldn’t seem to fight when he stood this close to her. “We shouldn’t… this isn’t the right time or place for us to get any deeper into this.” 

He nodded and sighed, “You’re right. Let’s go back and finish what we need to. Maybe we can do dinner tonight, if you don’t need to get back to Maya’s too early.”

She nodded and pulled away from his grasp, intensely aware that if she stood any longer with his hands on her waist she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from taking it further. She forced herself to walk away from him, intensely aware that his gaze followed her back to their table as she gathered their things. She reached for her coat but he gently touched a hand to her waist as a signal for her to wait. He picked the coat up and held it open for her, she smiled and shook her head as she let him help her slip it on. He had always been rather formal about how he treated her, but suddenly it seemed as if there was a special warmth to him, an ease between the two of them that hadn’t been there before. Shin-Ae almost felt like addressing their attraction to one another, finally acting on it, changed everything between the two of them and completely erased the unease that she used to feel. He put his coat on and gestured for her to go ahead. He gently took her hand and she laced her fingers with his, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he led her out of the arcade. He glanced over, unable to stop himself from looking at her. It was as if he needed to reassure himself – again – that she was really there. She walked quietly beside him, holding the stuffed toy tightly in her arm. It was a silly thing, but he could tell that it meant something to her, and he couldn’t help but appreciate her obvious attachment to the toy. He thought back to what she said, the comment about working for it, and realized that he was going to have to apply the same principle to a developing relationship with Shin-Ae. She wasn’t just going to fall into his arms like the few women he had dated before her; she wasn’t drawn in by his money or by his family’s status. The effort that he put into it was what was going to matter to Shin-Ae. 

He opened the car door for her and gave her a small kiss on the forehead as she got in, taking a moment to close his eyes and inhale her sweet, alluring scent. She lightly ran her fingers along his jaw and sat down, looking up at him with a smile as he closed the door. He took a moment to breath before opening his own door and getting into the car beside her; he found it incredibly difficult to control himself when she was in close proximity, but he didn’t want her to think he was only interested in the physical attraction between the two of them. They were obviously well matched sexually, but he didn’t want that to be the end of it and so he set his resolve to slow things down and convince her that they were well matched emotionally as well.


	6. Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shin-Ae endures a very awkward, extremely uncomfortable dinner at the Hirahara house and spends the night with Kousuke after.
> 
> A VERY special thanks to the ladies who beta/proofread for me, this chapter would not have gotten done without them!

Shin-Ae looked at herself nervously in the mirror. Thankfully, the dress that Kousuke had bought her was comfortable and modest. It was a simple black bodycon that covered most of her chest and had a slight dip in the back. The dress hugged her thighs and stopped a few inches above her knees, leaving her legs bare down to the tops of her ankle height velvet, high heeled boots. Over the month since their relationship began they had managed to avoid any family gatherings, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Shin-Ae figured it was better to start with a family dinner at the Hirahara home rather than being dragged to another one of their parties. She sighed and ran her hands down her hips, smoothing the tight fabric down her thighs as she gazed at herself. Her style had always been much more casual, she didn’t think she had ever worn anything skin tight before, but she was resigned to the fact that being in a relationship with Kousuke meant that she would have to dress up sometimes. 

Kousuke appeared behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist as he met her gaze in the mirror from over her shoulder. “You look stunning.” She gave him a small smile, grateful for the reassurance despite feeling very little confidence. “Don’t worry so much, we’re just going for a simple, easy dinner.”

She grinned at him, “There is nothing simple or easy about your family, Kousuke.”

He smiled at her, a big, genuine smile that she didn’t see often and cherished every time. “That, little flower, is absolutely correct. But, I promise, I will not allow tonight to get out of hand.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her neck, teasing her with the soft brush of his lips. “If anything happens I’ll simply whisk you away.” 

He slid a hand over her stomach and her chest, stopping to lightly run his fingertips over the base of her throat. It was a tantalizingly reminiscent of the intensity of the first few days of their relationship, and an excruciating reminder of their agreement to slow down – meaning Shin-Ae hadn’t felt more than these momentary displays of teasing affection in over three weeks. She understood his reasoning – he wanted to be sure that she knew the extent of his emotions for her rather than allowing themselves to simply get lost in the sex. But good lord, how she missed the sex. She sighed against his fingertips and let her head tilt back to rest on his shoulder, despite honoring their agreement not to be intimate he never failed to remind her of his easy dominance, and she never hesitated to submit to even the smallest gestures. He moved his hand a little higher, so that he had a light grip on her throat, and applied gentle pressure. Her breath stopped involuntarily and she could feel him pull her body closer to his until her back was molded against him. Kousuke whispered in her ear, his voice low and hot against her skin, “I love the way you allow me to make you mine; with no warning, no hesitation, you give yourself to me with such trust and faith. You have no idea how badly it makes me want you, little flower.”

“So take me,” she whispered desperately with the last of the breath she had in her chest. 

He grazed his lips along her ear and she could feel the devilish smile that played on them, “We’re already running late, dearest. You’ll have to tempt me another time.” He took a step back, separating their bodies while holding her hips in place so that she couldn’t follow him. “Get your coat, I don’t care which tonight, we do need to leave.” He gave her hips a light squeeze, clearly enjoying her frustration, and then turned and walked down the stairs. Shin-Ae shut her eyes tightly for a moment, fighting to regain her composure, and then followed. 

The walk to the car was silent but comfortable, they walked with fingers loosely laced together as Shin-Ae trailed just slightly behind him. It seemed that no matter what they were doing and where they were going, Kousuke always walked just a small step ahead of her, guiding her gently in a way that eased any stress or worry that was on her mind. But as they walked to the car, Shin-Ae found herself hesitating to follow. Kousuke could feel her lightly pulling back as they neared the hotel doors, her fingers growing tense as they got closer to the car waiting for them at the valet.

Rather than lead her out the doors, he pulled her off to the side and turned to look at her. He put his hands gently on either side of her face and tilted her gaze to his. He gave her a small smile, his features softening reassuringly, “it’s all going to be okay. It’s just dinner, it’ll be over before you know it.” She nodded but he could tell she wasn’t convinced, “it’s better to do this tonight than wait until it’s something important that we can’t miss that would be even more awkward.”

Shin-Ae took a deep breath and nodded again, “I know, I know you’re right. It’s just…” She looked down at the floor and spoke quietly, “I know I don’t fit in with your family, Kousuke. I doubt I’m what they would have chosen for you.”

Kousuke laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “Are you kidding? The only thing my mother cares about is finally having some hope of me getting married and having kids! I’m pretty sure she had completely given up on the idea of me giving her grandchildren for a while there, I’m sure she’s going to be more than thrilled. And my father doesn’t care about social status or family money, all he cares about is if you’re a hard worker and loyal, which you absolutely are. You have nothing to be worried about.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty, “And, to be quite frank, I wouldn’t care even if they didn’t like us together. I’m not giving you up, no matter what my family thinks about you.” He pressed a strong, possessive kiss to her lips and looked into her eyes for a moment before whispering “You’re mine, Shin-Ae.” 

He felt her body relax as the tension left her. He gave her a moment to gather herself and then led her out the doors of the hotel and helped her into the car. He could tell that her mind was still preoccupied with uncertainty and apprehension as he drove, but he knew that if he pressed her on the matter it would only make her nerves worse. He reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in an effort to remind her that he was here as a support for any moment of weakness she may have throughout the night. His mind flashed back to the night at the party, her quiet voice telling him that she felt he was embarrassed by her. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t allow her to feel that way again, even if that meant spending every moment of the night by her side and quietly guiding her through the social interactions that she was going to be forced to endure. Obviously it wasn’t her fault that she didn’t quite fit into his world, but he had no doubt that she would make a place for herself, and she would be just as memorable to everyone else as she was to him. 

“Is Yeong-Gi going to be there?” 

Her quiet voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he furrowed his brow. “My mother didn’t say. Typically my father insists on him being at family dinners, so I would assume so.” He glanced over at her for a moment, “The two of you still haven’t talked, have you?”

“No,” she shook her head, her voice hardening as she spoke. “He won’t even make eye contact with me at the office and he avoids all of us lately. I have no idea where he’s been or what he’s been doing with himself.” 

Kousuke nodded, completely unsurprised. “Nol has always been like that, don’t take it personally. He sulks.”

She shook her head and he could hear the annoyance in her tone, “At this point, him avoiding me pisses me off more than what happened. He can’t just pretend I don’t exist forever.” She looked out the window, avoiding Kousuke’s worried glances in her direction. 

“Shin-Ae,” he pointedly squeezed her hand, prompting her to look at him. “I promise we’ll figure out what’s going on with Nol. But not tonight, okay? Let’s just enjoy dinner and then get out of there. We don’t need my mother and father to get involved, it would be impossible to keep them from knowing the whole truth of what happened.” She sighed and nodded silently. “We can ambush him at the office the next time we’re all there, alright?” 

Shin-Ae closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat, she knew he was right, and she certainly didn’t want to cause trouble the first time she was around his family as his girlfriend. “Okay,” she looked at him with a small smile, “I won’t say anything tonight. I won’t cause any trouble.”

He chuckled softly and shook his head, “I find that hard to believe.” 

They spent the rest of the drive in silence, both lost in their own thoughts and anxieties about the night ahead of them. Kousuke had never brought a woman home before; while he had been involved with multiple women over the years, he had yet to consider any of his relationships serious enough to involve his family. Considering his mother’s meddlesome behaviors in the past, Kousuke had never been particularly thrilled at the idea of her knowing about too much of his personal life, he had always been incredibly careful to hide his relationships – no matter how frivolous they were, how little they mattered – from her. But this was different, not only did he have no intention of hiding his relationship with Shin-Ae from his family but he was actually looking forward to making their relationship known. He was well aware that Shin-Ae was going to feel awkward and out of place at this family dinner, but he hoped that as time went on she would feel more at home in his world. 

Shin-Ae took a deep breath as they pulled up to the Hirahara mansion, there was no turning back now. She knew that his family would instantly realize that they were together, his behavior towards her was unmistakable, but she had no idea how they were going to feel about it. While his mother had often talked about her want for him to settle down, even propositioned Shin-Ae herself, there was a nagging fear in the back of Shin-Ae’s mind that they wouldn’t think she was good enough for Kousuke, for their family. She had no status connected with her name, no wealth, she wasn’t even a college graduate. She waited as Kousuke walked around the car to open her door for her, she slipped her hand in his as he helped her stand in her tall, black heels and she immediately looked to his reassuring smile to calm her nerves. 

They walked up the steps and he stopped in front of the door, he turned to Shin-Ae and cupped her face in his hands. He pressed a loving, tender kiss to her lips, letting the kiss linger for a moment before pulling just far enough away from her to whisper against her lips. “They’re going to be thrilled, I promise.” She nodded, leaning into him for one last, quick kiss before he turned and opened the door. 

Shin-Ae looked around in awe as they stepped into the massive foyer, she had expected the Hirahara home to be beautiful, but she was blown away by its refined designed and tasteful décor. She was in a sort of daze as someone she didn’t recognize helped her out of her coat and disappeared with it, whatever comfort Kousuke had given her before they stepped inside had quickly vanished as she basked in the overwhelming feeling of inferiority standing in the mansion entrance. She felt Kousuke gently place his hand on her elbow and lead her in the direction of the dining room, snapping her out of her thoughts. She only had a moment to glance over at him before Mrs. Hirahara’s voice filled the room. 

“Shin-Ae, dearest! I had no idea you’d be coming to dinner tonight!”

Shin-Ae’s eyes shot from Kousuke to his mother and then back as she realized he hadn’t warned anyone that she would be coming with him tonight. They were going to be taking his family completely by surprise. She looked around the room, registering the surprise on everyone’s faces as their gazes fell to Kousuke’s hand wrapped around hers. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what to say, but Kousuke spoke first.

“I apologize, I wanted to tell everyone in person. I thought tonight would be the ideal time to share our news.” His father folded his arms across his chest, standing silently as he waited for Kousuke to continue, and Mrs. Hirahara stared at them with a knowing smile. No one said a word, Kousuke gave Shin-Ae’s hand a light squeeze and continued, “Shin-Ae and I have been dating, and I believe our relationship is becoming serious enough that we felt it was time to share it with the family.” 

Shin-Ae looked over at Yeong-Gi, hoping for any hint of acknowledgement from him but he simply folded his hands on the table in front of him and stared in front of him. She sighed and looked back to Mrs. Hirahara, who was still smiling at her. She spoke quietly, unsure of what to say to everyone, “I’m happy to be here tonight, thank you for having me.” 

“Well honey,” Mrs. Hirahara closed the gap between them and hooked her arm into Shin-Ae’s. She started walking towards the table, pulling her away from Kousuke, “I’m just happy to see my son finally interested in something other than work! Hopefully this means we’ll see more of you, and perhaps my dream of grandchildren will be realized sooner rather than later!” She practically tugged Shin-Ae to the table and sat her in the chair next to hers, Shin-Ae looked to Kousuke who gave her a resigned smile as he sat across the table from her. Mrs. Hirahara sat beside Shin-Ae, her husband at the head of the table, and loftily waved a hand at the butler by the dining room door. He quickly disappeared and Mrs. Hirahara turned her attention back to Shin-Ae. “So tell me dear, when did this happen?” 

Before Shin-Ae could answer, Yeong-Gi cleared his throat and muttered from his seat across from Mrs. Hirahara, “Do we really need to dig into every detail? I’m sure if they wanted to share their private business they would have by now.” 

Shin-Ae looked up at him, grateful for his concern for her privacy, even if his tone was still reminiscent of a sulking child. His dejected demeanor didn’t go unnoticed, Mrs. Hirahara turned her critical gaze to him and a small smile crept across her lips. “It’s funny,” she mused as she stared at Yeong-Gi, “after the way that you acted at that party, what you did to Sang-Chul, I would have expected the two of you to have some sort of relationship.” 

Yeong-Gi’s gaze snapped to Mrs. Hirahara before he noticed Shin-Ae’s discomfort and he forced the glare from his face. Shin-Ae looked down at her lap as she felt the crimson blush of embarrassment creep over her face. Mrs. Hirahara was a shrewd, discerning woman with surprising intelligence, so it didn’t surprise any of them that she had noticed Yeong-Gi’s obvious affection for Shin-Ae. Kousuke had even thought that it was part of the reason she had always seemed to push him and Shin-Ae together, as if it were part of some plan to make Yeong-Gi miserable. 

Shin-Ae knew that she couldn’t just stay silent, and she didn’t want to wait and see how either of the brothers would respond to the comment. “I appreciate Yeong-Gi’s efforts to take care of me, he’s a wonderful friend to me and that means a lot. But, I assure you, he and I have never had an intimate relationship.” Shin-Ae looked up at Kousuke, surprised to see a proud smile on his face rather than the concern or irritation that she had expected. 

Mrs. Hirahara was still staring at Yeong-Gi, clearly observing his reaction to Shin-Ae’s response. “Oh come now, you really never had any inclination towards a romantic relationship with her, Nol?” 

Shin-Ae bit her lip as she looked from Yeong-Gi to Kousuke, silently pleading for someone to find a way to change the subject. Yeong-Gi simply crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, stubbornly ignoring Mrs. Hirahara, so Shin-Ae looked to Kousuke with desperation in her eyes. 

“Mother,” he said with an exasperated tone, “I’m sure you can appreciate that this is an uncomfortable topic for me and Shin-Ae. After all, it’s rather awkward for me to discuss the possibility of my girlfriend dating my brother only minutes after announcing our relationship.” 

Shin-Ae hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she released it in a sigh of relief. She turned to Mrs. Hirahara and gave her a small smile, “I know you mean well, and I’m sure you have plenty of reason to think that Yeong-Gi and I could have been more than friends. But Kousuke is right, it is a bit uncomfortable.”

Mrs. Hirahara gazed at her for a moment, she had a smile pinned to her lips but Shin-Ae could see the shrewd criticism in her gaze as she silently decided whether or not to push the subject any farther. Shin-Ae knew this was her chance to change the topic, before Mrs. Hirahara could make any further observations. “I think I saw a charity event on the schedule for next week, is that an annual party?”

Kousuke could feel the relief wash over him as his mother followed Shin-Ae’s lead and dove into a discussion about the upcoming charity ball. He could see Shin-Ae beginning to relax as his mother chattered on about the family responsibilities and the rewards of helping the less fortunate, he was surprised at how well she was navigating his mother’s attempts to get information by pressing topics she knew weren’t appropriate. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her fall into conversation with his mother and father, a feeling of pride creeping over him as he realized that she wasn’t quite as out of place as they had both thought. 

Dinner went relatively quickly, the household staff were prompt and well practiced at making sure everything went smoothly, they were so good at the routine that Shin-Ae hardly realized when they were clearing plates and setting new food down in front of her. She did wonder how Mrs. Hirahara managed to eat anything considering that she never seemed to stop talking, that woman could carry a conversation completely on her own and no one would seem to know the difference. Shin-Ae was perfectly content listening to Mrs. Hirahara prattle on about the charity event and all the organizations that the family’s fundraising events benefited, but as the staff set deserts down in front of everyone it quickly became tense and awkward again. 

Mrs. Hirahara stopped talking for a moment as a thought crossed her mind, she then turned to Kousuke with a sly smile on her face. “I’m assuming that the two of you will attend the charity ball together, as a couple, right?” Kousuke looked to Shin-Ae, they shared a glance that clearly told the entire table that they hadn’t even thought about it yet. “It would be better to announce your relationship yourselves, sooner rather than later,” Mrs. Hirahara explained, “otherwise you risk the news getting out via the rumor mill. And if that happens,” she looked at Kousuke pointedly, “you won’t be able to control the information made public, just like what happened last time.”

Shin-Ae frowned and looked at Mrs. Hirahara, “Last time?”

She nodded at Shin-Ae, her smile almost disappearing. “A few years ago there was a rumor that Kousuke had a serious girlfriend, of course the relationship was extremely casual and no one intended for the information to get out. But it turned into a media circus and the poor girl ended up having to move to the United States to get away from it all.” 

Shin-Ae looked from Kousuke to his mother and quietly asked, “What happened, how did people find out?”

Kousuke sighed and frowned at his mother, clearly unhappy with how freely she shared the information. Shin-Ae’s voice was clearly concerned and confused as she asked for clarification. Mrs. Hirahara gave her a sickly sweet smile, “Well the press of course, but it was also all of the girls in Kousuke’s little fan club. From what I was told, the poor thing was getting death threats, hate mail, there was even a dead rat mailed to her door. She was harassed relentlessly, and the two of them hiding from the issue only seemed to fan the fire. Eventually she broke it off completely and disappeared. We set her up with a nice sum of money to help with her transition and she hasn’t returned since.” Mrs. Hirahara shrugged and took a small bite of her cheesecake, “but it’s no matter, because we aren’t going to make that mistake again, right Kousuke?”

Kousuke placed a hand to his head and rubbed his temple as he pressed his eyes shut in frustration. After a moment he looked to Shin-Ae, who was staring at her cheesecake with an expression that he couldn’t quite read. 

Mr. Hirahara’s deep voice snapped them all out of their thoughts, “Nol, I expect you to be there as well. It’s a family event, it’s time that you started to consistently make an appearance as a member of this family.”

“And I’ll be sure to make a few calls so that Alyssa will join us, of course.” Yeong-Gi looked at Mrs. Hirahara sharply but she continued, “we can’t let these two steal the spotlight from you, can we?”

He shook his head at her, “Don’t bother, she and I aren’t together anymore.” 

Everyone looked at him with varying degrees of shock, but Mrs. Hirahara spoke first, “What? Why on earth not, Nol? What happened?” 

He shrugged and refused to make eye contact with anyone, “It just wasn’t working anymore.” 

Mr. Hirahara spoke up, his voice filled with sharp annoyance, “You had better not have done something foolish, Nol. We don’t need you embarrassing this family any further.” 

Shin-Ae could see Yeong-Gi’s body tensing with anger as he prepared to respond, but she started speaking before he had a chance in an effort to diffuse the situation. “Alyssa is just too busy, it’s impossible to carry on a healthy relationship when you can’t even have a conversation because your schedules can’t seem to match up. Maybe when her career settles into a routine and things settle down, she and Yeong-Gi can revisit their relationship and try again.” She gave Yeong-Gi a small smile as his gaze settled on her. 

Mr. Hirahara sighed, clearly still annoyed but resigned to leaving the issue alone. “I’ll still expect you to attend, Nol. Just let your mother know if you plan to bring anyone.” He stood, signaling to the table that dinner was over and everyone followed. Mr. Hirahara excused himself to his study and Yeong-Gi quickly slipped out the front door, leaving Shin-Ae and Kousuke with Mrs. Hirahara. 

“Well,” she took Shin-Ae’s hand in her own as they walked to the door, “I suppose it’s settled then. You’ll attend the charity party with Kousuke as his date and we’ll make it clear that the two of you are off the market! And I’ll check my schedule and find a day that works for both us and I’ll take you shopping for appropriate attire.”

“Oh, Mrs. Hirahara, you really don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can’t afford anything from the stores you shop at –”

“Nonsense! It’s my treat, I insist. You’re part of the family now, dear, you’ll have to let me spoil you a bit. I don’t have any daughters, after all.” 

Kousuke took Shin-Ae’s hand and placed it on his arm, “Mother, that really isn’t necessary. Shin-Ae and I can find her something on our own.” 

Mrs. Hirahara kissed them each on the cheek and smiled, “it’s already been decided, my love. I want to spend more time with Shin-Ae and I’m going to use the opportunity to shop for a girl for once.” She gave Shin-Ae a wink and a smile, “shopping for suits gets old after a while, I’ll be glad to have a reason to shop for more dresses!” 

The butler opened the front door for them and Shin-Ae smiled as Kousuke gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek before leading her outside and helping her into his car. She leaned back against the seat, her body finally able to completely relax after the tense dinner and she let out a long sigh. Shin-Ae let her head fall back against the seat and closed her eyes. She knew that dinner would be exhausting, but she hadn’t been prepared for Mrs. Hirahara’s determined questioning of Yeong-Gi. She didn’t know if that was a normal interaction for the two of them, but the tension was utterly exhausting. 

Kousuke placed his hand on her knee and gave it a soft squeeze, “it’s not too late, would you like me to take you back to Maya’s or did you want to come back to my place for a bit?” 

She looked at him with an appreciative smile, “can we watch a movie and relax for a while at your place? I’m not ready to go back to Maya’s after such a tense dinner. It’s almost as uncomfortable at Maya’s as it is at your parents house lately.” 

He nodded at her with a smile, “As you wish, little flower.” They drove to his place in silence, both lost in their contemplative thoughts about how the night had gone. It was clear that they were both relieved to be done with dinner, they were both so mentally exhausted that they didn’t even bother talking as he pulled up to his building and led her to the elevator. He leaned against the back wall of the elevator and pulled her body against his as they slowly climbed to his floor, she leaned into his body and relaxed against him, hardly paying attention to the sound of each passing level. He let them into his apartment and they quickly made themselves comfortable on the couch, both desperately in need of time to simply relax after the mentally exhausting evening. 

After watching an episode of his favorite recorded daytime trash tv, Kousuke looked down at Shin-Ae, she had laid her head down in his lap and quickly fallen asleep as they watched television after dinner with his family. It had been a little over a month since they had started this and they had already developed a nice, calm routine that they both seemed to be happy with. Although they had dealt with a rocky start, everything had calmed down considerably; Nol was still avoiding Shin-Ae, her father was still in treatment but seemed to be getting better, and she hadn’t mentioned any new issues with Maya lately. They made it a point not to spend every night together as it was too easy for them to be consumed by one another, they were drawn to each other like fire and oxygen, and so they had forced themselves to set rules. The most important of those rules was their agreement to refrain from spending the night together and to wait until their relationship was better developed before continuing the physical aspects of their relationship. But tonight, as he gazed down at her sleeping peacefully across his lap, he knew he was going to break the rules. He wasn’t going to wake her. He would let her sleep until he was ready for bed, and then he would carry her to his bed where he would keep her close to him. 

Shin-Ae slowly opened her eyes, the light from the windows waking her. She blinked as she looked around, realizing that she wasn’t at Maya’s house. She felt Kousuke shift closer to her, his arm wrapping around her in his sleep and pulling her against his chest. She couldn’t help the slow, small smile that played on her lips as she thought back to last night. She remembered laying across his lap as they watched an episode of one of those horrible, trashy daytime TV shows that he had loved, but she must have fallen asleep as she didn’t remember him moving her to his bed. She had been waiting for him to break his own rules, and it finally happened after a month of impatient frustration. She was surprised that it was something this small and innocent that made him finally give up on maintaining distance between the two of them, distance that she didn’t want at all. Shin-Ae took a deep breath, appreciating the fresh scent of his sheets, that unmistakable smell of clean linens that have been hung to dry in the sunshine. It was a welcome change from the familiar scent of cakes and breads that seemed to linger at Maya’s regardless of cleaning products and candles. 

Kousuke tightened his grip on Shin-Ae as he slowly woke. Her warm body pressed against his was enough to arouse him, to make him want even more of her than he already had. Other than some heavy kissing and a few wandering hands, he and Shin-Ae hadn’t been physical, he had insisted on slowing down and spending more time getting to know one another. But feeling her pressed against him, completely relaxed in his grip, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering to the memories of how she felt when he was inside of her. Thinking back on it, he still had no idea what had convinced him to take her the way he did, to dominate her, to possess her so thoroughly. He had convinced himself that his attraction to her was physical, but the moment he had his hands on her it became completely clear to him that it was far more than that. And after those first few times, he grew worried that she would think sex was all he wanted. He forced himself to reign in his physical desires and show her the rest of his feelings, to focus on making her happy, comfortable, and content with him before he drowned her in his overwhelming desires. 

Kousuke let his fingers wander up and down the length of Shin-Ae’s stomach, his fingertips tracing the curve of her sternum before drawing a line down to her hips and back up. He took a deep breath, savoring the intoxicating scent of her hair as he moved closer so that he could kiss her neck softly. She sighed as his lips brushed against her skin, clearly inviting him to do more as she lay in his arms. He pulled her tightly against him, pressing her body completely against his and tightening his arms around her torso. “Good morning,” he whispered against her ear. 

She smiled and turned so that their lips were almost touching, “I thought we weren’t supposed to spend the night together?”

“I think we earned a reward after last night, don’t you?”

“Oh, so this is all I get for suffering through that?” She wiggled away from him, pretending to pout, “I think I deserve a much bigger reward than just an overnight cuddle.”

His fingers tightened on her waist and he gave her a mischievous grin, “what would you like as a reward then, little flower?” 

Shin-Ae rolled over so that she was facing Kousuke, her smile faded as she met his eyes with a completely serious expression. “You.” 

What little restraint Kousuke had left quickly faded as he looked into her eyes. He moved one of his hands to the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his to capture her mouth in a needy kiss that quickly deepened. He moved on top of her, pressing his chest to hers with just enough pressure to shorten her breath in the most tantalizing way. She arched her back beneath him, aching for more contact, more touch, more sensation. Shin-Ae wrapped her hands around him and dug her nails into his back, relishing his low moan that escaped into her mouth. Kousuke snaked a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and tightened his grip, pulling until she broke the kiss to take in a sharp gasp of air. She opened her legs so that her thighs were resting on his hips, teasing him through their clothing with a blatant invitation. She knew that he had been serious about their agreement to take a break from the sex while they got closer, but she could feel how much he wanted her and she felt a strange power in her ability to shake his determination. 

Although Kousuke had changed into a pair of grey sweatpants before falling asleep, Shin-Ae was still wearing the tight black dress that she had worn to dinner. Kousuke’s hand trailed down her body until he felt the smooth skin of her thighs, exposed by her dress hiked up to her hips, he gripped her thigh with one hand while his other reached around her arched back and quickly pulled the zipper of her dress down her back to open it. He lifted himself off of her body to pull her dress down her arms and then over her legs, tossing it to the floor before worshipping her body with a trail of kisses that started at her hips and ended in the sensitive spot between her collar bones. The thin satin of her bra heightened the sensation of his fingers tracing the circle of her nipple through the bra and Shin-Ae closed her eyes as she basked in the sensation. Kousuke paid close attention to her body as he fought to regain control of the situation. But every moan, every gasp, every movement of her body underneath him only drove him closer and closer to the edge and he knew that soon he wouldn’t care enough to try and stop himself. Shin-Ae raked her fingers through his hair as she arched against his hand on her breast, she was craving more from him, every touch only awakening deeper desires that she had spent the last month trying to ignore. 

Kousuke opened the clasp of her bra and quickly tossed it over the edge of the bed, he immediately covered one of her taut nipples with his mouth, flicking his tongue over the tight bud until she was gasping for air and grinding her hips against his. “Kousuke,” she pleaded breathlessly, “Please…”

He snaked a hand up her chest and over her throat, gently gripping her jaw and turning her face to the side so that she couldn’t watch his every move. He held his hand on her jaw as he trailed his lips down her body, hitting every sensitive nerve so that she was squirming beneath him with a mixture of pleasure and desire. He could feel her chest rising and falling with shorter, shallow breaths as his mouth found the sensitive spot just inside her hips. He gently bit the soft flesh, taking pleasure in the surprised yelp followed by a soft moan of pleasure. He slid his hand from her jaw, dragging it down along her body until it met her panties and he slowly pulled the black, satin fabric down her legs. He quickly stepped out of his grey sweatpants, rendering them both completely naked before he brought his body back to hers, pressing the length of himself against her as he moved slowly to cover her with himself, trapping her beneath him. He took her by her wrists and pulled her hands over her head, stretching her body beneath him, exposing her skin to his. He held her wrists over her head with one hand while his other moved down to open her legs so that he could position himself between them. She could feel him pressed lightly against her warm entrance and she raised her hips in a silent plea. He continued to tease her, just barely pressing himself against her for a few moments. He moved his thumb over her clit, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her body that jolted her muscles like pure electricity. She arched her back involuntarily, pressing against him and tightening her legs around his hips. He moved his thumb in slow, deliberate circles, pressing lightly as she moaned and moved her hips to meet his movement. She thought that she was already breathless, but his light teasing made her chest tighter, making it impossible to take a breath deep enough to keep her head from spinning. 

Kousuke could feel her getting closer and closer to her climax as he gently massaged her clit, he watched her face, intently searching for the right moment to change the pleasure to keep her from climaxing. He felt her muscles tense to an impossible degree, her thighs squeezing his hips to the point of being almost painful, and he watched as her eyes drifted shut and a whimper escaped her lips. He could tell she was right on the edge, so he pulled his thumb from her clit, taking far too much pleasure in the moan of intense need that came from the sudden lack of stimulation. He took her lips in a hard, demanding kiss as he pushed himself inside of her. She cried out against his lips, his kiss swallowing the sound as he moved inside of her warm center. His free hand pulled up on her thigh and she followed his signal, wrapping her legs around his torso and raising her hips so that he could get deeper inside of her. He stretched Shin-Ae’s arms higher above her head, elongating her body until she could hardly move beneath him. His grip tightened until it was just painful enough to cause a slight wince, a reminder of her total submission to him, and Shin-Ae clenched her fists in response to his quickening movements inside of her. Shin-Ae was so close to orgasm that she could almost tip herself over the edge, but every time Kousuke felt the tell tale signs of her impending pleasure he would change his pace, infuriating her with his denial of her pleasure. He leaned down and bit her neck lightly before whispering against her soft skin, “Do you want to cum, little flower?” Shin-Ae whimpered and nodded her head slightly, so lost in pleasure that she could hardly focus on his voice. “That isn’t an answer. I said,” he pulled almost completely out of her and drove back inside of her warm center with one long, hard thrust that pulled a sharp yelp of pleasure mixed with slight pain from her lips, “do you want to cum?” 

“Oh, god,” her voice was much louder than she expected it to be, as if she had no control over her volume now that he had coaxed words from her, “please, Sir.”

He continued the slow, hard thrusts as he teased her. He took pleasure in every moan of painful pleasure that he drew out of her, knowing that he was teasing her with an edge that he wouldn’t allow her to reach. “I want you to beg, little flower. Beg me to make you cum, or I’ll deny you completely and leave you wanting.”

She panted against his neck, her arousal peaking with his demand. “Please…make me cum…” She moaned and turned her face so that her lips were touching the skin of his neck, “Please, oh god… please, please Kousuke…” 

The sound of his name rolling breathlessly off her lips was enough to strip him of the control he had left. He let go of the restraint he had been clinging to and moved hard and fast inside of her, almost immediately sending her crashing into a hard orgasm and following quickly behind her. She tensed around him, her entire body pulling every ounce of strength from him as she coaxed him over the cliff of an intense orgasm with her. 

As the waves of pleasure washed over them both and they reached the end of the overwhelming climax, he released her wrists and rested his body on hers. She kept her legs wrapped around his waist and drew her arms around his shoulders, wanting to hold him as closely as possible as her body slowly came back to earth. She could feel his short, shallow breaths against her shoulder and she pressed a light kiss to his neck. She smiled and whispered, “So much for the rules.” 

He chuckled into her soft hair, “It was worth it. You are worth it.”


End file.
